Episode 337 – Spark AI at Home

smart home technology, AI in knowledge work, reverse deepfakes, & recordings, an AR Easter egg, and sparking joy with the new KonMari and New World games

Michael and Michael start off this week’s episode with stories about how to make your home smarter and easier.  First up is Home Depot’s app Hubspace which allow the user to scan the QR code on the packaging and control the devices without needing to set up a hub.  Next, the co-hosts discuss the new Logitech dock, which doubles as a speakerphone in addition to being a USB hub.  The Opal C1 webcam Michael M was thinking of has been added to the show notes below.

Turning to artificial intelligence, the pair have a number of articles to review.  Michael R had a chance to attend the recently held UNC School of Information and Library Science symposium on AI and Knowledge work, and the link to the contents & replays may be found below.  In a reverse deepfake twist, AI is used to make realistic humans out of characters from video games.  During the quick hit on the Tape It app, Michael and Michael discuss Apple’s Music Memos, which will be going away in iOS 15.  

Speaking of the next gen iOS, Apple’s California Streaming event is scheduled for Sept 14.  While the co-hosts resist the temptation to discuss what may be announced, they do spend a little time talking about the AR Easter egg embedded in the invitation.  Give it a try for yourself, following the instructions below.  Continuing on the apple theme for a few more minutes, the team discusses how Samsung is using apple peels to create eco-friendly watchbands.

The co-hosts then touch briefly on a few topics: new football/soccer statistics courtesy of AWS for the Bundesliga, the iconic VW microbus coming back in electric robotaxi form, a LEGO GameBoy transformer and a trailer for the upcoming Matrix movie.

Michael M cleans up with the newly announced KonMari game, and Michael R is excited to play the New World open beta.

What are you playing?  Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz ! 

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

The Verge article: Home Depot says its smart home app is for people who find the smart home space ‘intimidating’ — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/4/22654623/home-depot-smart-home-amazon-alexa-google-home 

The Verge article: Logitech’s new dock is designed for a work from home world — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/8/22662237/logitech-logi-dock-features-pricing-release-date

Cult of Mac article: Ex-Apple and Beats designers launch premium Opal C1 webcam for Mac — https://www.cultofmac.com/752124/ex-apple-and-beats-designers-launch-premium-opal-c1-webcam-for-mac/ 

Opal C1 — https://opalcamera.com 

UNC School of Information and Library Science AI and Knowledge Work symposium — https://tarheels.live/aikw2021/ 

Kotaku article: AI Gives Street Fighter Characters Human Faces — https://kotaku.com/ai-gives-street-fighter-characters-human-faces-1847594479 

TechCrunch article: Tape It launches an AI-powered music recording app for iPhone — https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/08/tape-it-launches-an-a-i-powered-music-recording-app-for-iphone/ 

Six Colors post: Apple’s “California Streaming” next week — https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/09/apple-will-be-california-streaming-on-sept-14/ 

Cult of Mac article: How to see the AR Easter egg hidden in Apple’s September 14 event invite — https://www.cultofmac.com/751846/how-to-see-the-ar-easter-egg-in-apples-september-14-event-invite/ 

The Verge article: Samsung releases eco-friendly watchbands made from apple peel — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/10/22666328/samsung-eco-friendly-sustainable-limited-edition-galaxy-watch-4-bands 

ZDNet article: AWS bringing two new advanced statistics to German Bundesliga broadcasts for upcoming season — https://www.zdnet.com/article/aws-bringing-two-new-advanced-statistics-to-german-bundesliga-broadcasts-for-upcoming-season/ 

The Verge article: VW is reviving its iconic microbus as an electric robotaxi — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/6/22659306/vw-autonomous-id-buzz-reveal-argo-iaa

The Matrix Resurrections Official Trailer 1 — https://www.whatisthematrix.com 

The Nerdist article: LEGO Game Boy Robot Is One Cool Transformer — https://nerdist.com/article/lego-nintendo-game-boy-robot-transformer/ 

KonMari Spark Joy! — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/konmari-spark-joy/id1557213958 

New World open beta — https://steamcommunity.com/app/1724660 

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