Games At Work dot Biz

e369 — rOS by any other name

By Michael Martine | May 23, 2022 - 06:24 |May 22, 2022 Podcast

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rose in a glass jar — Photo by Olesia Buyar on Unsplash

e369: rOS by any other name – discussion on AR / VR headsets & @Qualcomm’s chipsets, @Zoom #metaverse extension with #Welo, #virtualworldseducation, #GAAD #accessibility for all, & @gocube_official #IoT dice

Michael and Michael kick things off this week with an article that reports that Apple showed an AR/VR headset to the board of directors. This could be an exciting new piece of hardware that has Michael R very excited about the upcoming WWDC, when it may be available. After a discussion about reality OS (rOS), Michael R shares his experiences on the 100 days of Swift.

Then, the pair turn their sights toward the Qualcomm AR glasses and have a conversation about their capabilities and the Snapdragon chipset powering them.

Next up is a mini metaverse story about the Welo plug in for Zoom, and the visual spatial user experience used to convey groups of people in breakout sessions. Michael and Michael then take a moment to discuss the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (VWEC) kicking off in SecondLife on Saturday the 21st of May.

Winding up this week’s episode on the subject of accessibility, Michael and Michael examine a detailed article from Six Colors. Global Accessibility Awareness Day was Thursday, 19 May, and the co-hosts remark how accessibility features oftentimes make for better user experiences for everyone.

Closing out the show, the pair quickly touch on a couple of subjects from last week’s episode, namely an accessibility app that synchronizes translations with a movie you’re watching, and a Transformers game on Apple Arcade. Last up is a set of IoT enabled dice, which also has an accessibility angle to them.

What is your favorite accessibility feature that you find yourself frequently using? Drop us a line at @gamesatwork_biz and let us know!

Selected Article Links

Cult of Mac article: Apple shows off AR/VR headset to board of directors

Apple’s WWDC 2022

100 Days of Swift

The Verge article: Qualcomm’s new AR glasses are thinner and wireless

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 5G Platform

@GamesAtWork_Biz one for you https://t.co/8k324LWmIA
— Ian Hughes/epredator (@epredator) May 20, 2022

tech.co article: Zoom now has a Mini Metaverse Available for Meetings

Welo

The Mercury News article: Google’s huge new Mountain View campus is poised to be green complex

Bálna

Grand Opening on Saturday May, 21, 2022 11 a.m. SLT. VWEC, bringing educators together both to share what has been successful and to tackle obstacles across virtual platforms and communities. TAXI: https://t.co/d4I8NSK5Lb #virtualworlds #virtualworldseducation #metaverse pic.twitter.com/sdiwYg5HcV
— Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (@VWEConsortium) May 18, 2022

Six Colors article: Apple’s Accessibility feature preview gets #GAAD going

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Apple App Store: TheaterEars

Apple Arcade: TRANSFORMERS: Tactical Arena

Games at Work: e368 – Chaos Agent Without Pants

My #iot connected #godice have arrived pic.twitter.com/gMc8eHEfyw
— Ian Hughes/epredator (@epredator) May 19, 2022

GoDice

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e368 – Chaos Agent Without Pants

By Michael Martine | May 16, 2022 - 06:47 |May 15, 2022 Podcast

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check out e368: Chaos Agent Without Pants – with special guest @theRab & stories @BostonDynamics Spot, drones, open source trackballs, @LEGO_Group, NFTs and @FlipperZero

Michael, Andy and Michael welcome Ryan Boyles back to Games at Work for a wide ranging discussion on robotics, automotive, AR and open source tech as well as LEGO and NFTs.

The team starts off with a discussion on Spot, and Ryan’s recent experiences with the BostonDynamics robot. Check out the tweets from the show notes below for photographs of Ryan and Spot. Another robot is examined later in the show for it’s ability to remain flying for long periods of time, inspired by maple tree seeds.

After a couple stories on automobile / phone integration and over the air upgrades, the team turn to an interesting AR use case from Google. Leveraging Google’s technology and experiences, the team discuss a use case for live translation and closed captioning, without needing cameras in the glasses.

Next up is a conversation on the Ploopy open source trackball, which reminds the team of QMK and earlier Logitech trackballs. Andy shares a link from Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab.

Then several LEGO stories surface, starting with @Lxs link to the 2427 piece model of Petra, and the recently released LEGO Optimus Prime. Be sure to check the show notes for a community build of Shockwave (complete with Razorbeak cassette) that is more than meets the eye.

The team wind things up for this episode with how the Canadian comedy troupe Kids in the Hall predicted NFTs with their 1994 sketch. That, and a cyber dolphin enabled hardware tool from Flipper Zero.

Selected Article Links

See Spot selfie. #Think2022 pic.twitter.com/IC2AcytnvJ
— Ryan A Boyles (@theRab) May 10, 2022

Hold please. Spot needs to go for a walk. #Think2022 #robots #cobots #automation pic.twitter.com/SIyzv4WzFy
— Ryan A Boyles (@theRab) May 9, 2022

CNN Business article: Spot can paint! Watch the robotic dog collaborate with artist

Robot dance party break between sessions in Boston on the #Think2022 stage pic.twitter.com/r46Q1TivUY
— Ryan A Boyles (@theRab) May 11, 2022

The Verge article: You can hack Apple CarPlay into a Tesla using — what else — Android

The Verge article: Some new BMWs will need a software upgrade to get Wi-Fi, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

Cult of Mac article: Google shows a possible killer feature for AR glasses

Realtime transcription discussion from e352 — Looking Forward, Looking Back

South China Morning Post: Hong Kong team develops lightweight drone that can fly for longer — inspired by maple seeds

PCGamer article: Elden Ring player spends hours hiding in a bush to hose an AFK farmer

The Verge article: Ploopy and the promise of an open-source trackball

Ploopy

Retro Computing Grotto — picture of a Logitech TrackMan Portable Mouse T-CE3 – PS/2

QMK firmware

Microsoft Accessibility Blog: Increasing our Focus on Inclusive Technology

@GamesAtWork_Biz opportunity for Lego fans & heritage fans 🇯🇴
(and everyone else too)

2427 pieces to recreate #Petra in #Jordan
– courtesy of Laith Zid Al-Baka’eenhttps://t.co/ya8TL5GS1J
— 𝓛𝔁𝓼 / 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕤 🏵🇪🇺💫 (@Lxs) May 10, 2022

TF Source Report article: Countdown: LEGO Optimus Prime — the best tweets

In a flash of red and blue LEGO Optimus Prime emerges from the bricks to save the world from the Decepticons! https://t.co/vyK9TzQt7N pic.twitter.com/UtsUTVYH17
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) May 12, 2022

My teenage son had been making his own lego transformers for years now. What do you think? #Transformers #LEGO #OptimusPrime pic.twitter.com/jUptVbjyRi
— Peter J Matthews – Voice Actor (@thesweettramp) May 12, 2022

Digg article: ‘Kids In The Hall’ Predicted NFTs In This Sketch Back In 1994

FlipperZero

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e367 – Pointless Terrifying Tech

By Michael Martine | May 9, 2022 - 06:07 |May 8, 2022 Podcast

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swarm, Starling roost at Otmoor UK — Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash

summary

e367: Pointless Terrifying Tech – stories about The Key V2.0, VR ultrasound sensations, swarming drones, fictional user interfaces, EMF Camp, Blade Runner and Diablo Immortal.

Andy and Michael start things off this week with an update to the Stack Overflow April Fools joke made real (The Key) with an RGB LED enabled update. While Andy and Michael M already have the V1.0 version, Andy is tempted by the lights.

A story about researchers at Carnegie Mellon who have prototyped a way to let you feel kisses on your lips via a set of ultrasound emitters quickly moves towards feeling spiderwebs instead, which is somewhat less delightful.

Swarming drones spin off an interesting discussion on the use cases for the technology.

Andy highlights a web page devoted to FUIs: fictional user interfaces. Michael R shares how he got to work with one of the designers of the Minority Report interface. Andy is very excited about the upcoming EMF Camp, where he will get a chance to work with makers and maybe even a FUI or two himself.

More excitement: a Kickstarter for a role playing game based on Blade Runner is still going on for people who want to join in the fun, and Diablo Immortal is entering open beta on PC.

Ready to buy the updated The Key, try out a FUI or sign up to be the DM for a Blade Runner event? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !

Thanks for listening!

Selected Article Links

The Overflow: Unlock your full programming potential with The Key V2.0

The Key V2.0

Gizmodo article: VR Researchers Have Basically Figured Out How to Simulate the Feel of Kisses

TechCrunch article: Swarming drones autonomously navigate a dense forest (and chase a human)

Daniel Suarez’s book Kill Decision

Games at Work e250: See Clearly Now (discussion on swarming drones from Nov 2019)

The Verge article: Clippy is in Halo Infinite

Red vs Blue wiki article: Red vs. Blue

Huds and Guis

LCARS

Goodreads book: Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing

Electromagnetic Field Camp event: Is it Minority Report yet? Preventing Crime with Data and Evidence

Kickstarter project: BLADE RUNNER – The Roleplaying Game

Diablo Immortal

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e366 – MetaMoney

By Michael Martine | April 25, 2022 - 06:01 |April 24, 2022 Podcast

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stacking euro coins on top of a rook — Photo by KAI MA on Unsplash

MetaMoney – stories about the monetization of the metaverse, immortality, Habitat MMO, autonomous & LEGO classic vehicles.

Andy, Michael and Michael start things off in this episode discussing the monetization of the metaverse. Stories about the percentage of sales going to Meta, as the owner of the virtual experience form the launch point for the discussion with the co-hosts. As reported by Gizmodo, 47.5% of the sales price will go to Meta, which includes the 30% Oculus hardware fee. These substantial sums spark a conversation about metaverse arbitrage opportunities, and make it easy to imagine how price competition may evolve with different taxation rates in different app stores.

Next up is a story about metaverse immortality. Longtime Games At Work listeners will remember intriguing discussion about this topic going all the way back to 2012. See the links to episodes 26 and 218 and 328 in the show notes below. Andy brings up the “Be Right Back” episode of Black Swan, which raise many issues about what might emerge from this kind of technology.

Michael R shares a story about Habitat, a classic MMO that he played on the Commodore 64, reminding him of the Little Computer People discussed on e163.

Then, the co-hosts turn to a Kickstarter for a doorbell camera whose differentiation is a virtual eye. The Doggole Smart Eye Doorbell has a single human eye that watches the person ringing the bell, and triggers a bit of an uncanny valley experience. It reminds Michael M of the droid at Jabba’s place that answers the gate.

Wrapping up this episode are stories about police officers pulling over an autonomous vehicle, map enhancements coming for Subaru, the LEGO DeLorean from Back to the Future, the LEGO Landspeeder coming on Star Wars Day, ancient dice and a new Star Trek, Next Generation reimagined as a 1970s era animated series.

Ready to try immortality, or build the new LEGO Landspeeder? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !

Thanks for listening!