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Episode 337 – Spark AI at Home

By Michael Martine | September 13, 2021 - 06:26 |September 12, 2021 Podcast

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electric blue light going into a home — Photo by Ihor Saveliev on Unsplash

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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Episode 336 — Pancaking Robots

By Michael Martine | September 6, 2021 - 06:36 |September 5, 2021 Podcast

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robot talking about pancakes — Composite photos from 수안 최 on Unsplash & Ariana Suárez on Unsplash

cargo ship canal drifting, drones that crash & get crashed into, co-designing rooms with Pancake, NFTs and the quantum tick tocks of clocks.

Michael and Michael start of this week’s episode with an interesting game that reminded Michael M of Desert Bus. While there is nothing in the article or Steam game description of Whatever being a real time simulator, it’s fun to imagine that there might be a gameplay mode like Desert Bus. Whatever allows you to take on the role of a cargo ship captain, and chart a course through increasing difficult rivers and canals, inspired by the Ever Given.

The co-hosts then deal with drones that crash into planes, and humans that crash into robots. In the first story, a York Regional Police drone struck a Cessna coming in for a landing in Toronto. In the second story, a driver clipped a Starship Technologies autonomous delivery robot that was attempting to cross an intersection.

A listener tweet from @Lxs inspires an interesting NFT conversation. Michael R links this back to the hype cycle discussion from last week’s episode. Michael M envisions exotic financial instruments based on NFTs.

Pancake provides furniture-as-a-service, linking consumers with designers to design their space in real time. After uploading a room’s dimensions and scheduling a time, the client co-creates their space with the Pancake designer and can buy the furnishings with a single click at the end of their work.

Quanta Magazine quotes Dr. Gerard Milburn from the University of Queensland in Australia “A clock is a flow meter for entropy,” in an article outlining what clocks are, and what makes them tick (so to speak). The relationship between entropy and accuracy is intriguing, as is the the example of a clock composed of three entangled atoms.

Rounding out the episode are stories about the new Philips Hue lights and Bud Light’s new hard seltzer flavors which include pumpkin spice as well as toasted marshmallow, maple pear and apple crisp.

Do you have a favorite seltzer flavor? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

Axios article: Finally, a video game about the Ever Given — https://www.axios.com/ever-given-video-game-8a884f1c-4153-47a7-858f-2c457d41e69f.html

Whatever — https://store.steampowered.com/app/1734230/WHATEVER/

Desert Bus — https://desertbus.org

MIT Technology Review — https://www.technologyreview.com/newsletter-preferences/

Persuasive Games — http://bogost.com/games/persuasive_games_1/

Episode 17 — Things are weirder than expected with Ian Bogost — https://gamesatwork.biz/2012/08/26/episode-17-things-are-weirder-than-expected/

Gizmodo article: This Touchscreen Coffee Table Makes Digital Board Games a Blast — https://gizmodo.com/this-touchscreen-coffee-table-makes-digital-board-games-1847496122

Techdirt article: Canadian Cops Blow Off Drone Operations Laws, Crash Their Drone Into A Landing Airplane — https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210824/19471947428/canadian-cops-blow-off-drone-operation-laws-crash-their-drone-into-landing-airplane.shtml

The Verge article: The time a human-driven car ran over an autonomous robot — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/1/22652980/starship-delivery-robot-kentucky-car-accident

@GamesAtWork_Biz could sport team tokens have been used by #BarcaFC to raise funds from supporters to retain #Messi?

Recall how Beckham’s player contract move from ManUtd to RealMadrid was deemed to have been partially funded by extra merchandise saleshttps://t.co/BkCSWakJoR
— 𝓛𝔁𝓼 / 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕤 🏵🇪🇺💫 (@Lxs) August 31, 2021

Gizmodo article: Philips Hue Want to Put a Smart Light in Every Room in Your House — https://gizmodo.com/philips-hue-wants-to-put-a-smart-light-in-every-room-in-1847593336

Pancake aims to make customers flip for its virtual home design platform — https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/02/pancake-aims-to-make-customers-flip-for-its-virtual-home-design-platform/

Pancake — https://www.pancake.live

IKEA Place — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ikea-place/id1279244498

Quanta Magazine article: The New Thermodynamic Understanding of Clocks — https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-new-science-of-clocks-prompts-questions-about-the-nature-of-time-20210831/

CNN Business article: Bud Light is launching a pumpkin spice spiked seltzer — https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/31/business/pumpkin-spice-bud-light-seltzer/index.html

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Episode 335 — Horsing Around

By Michael Martine | August 30, 2021 - 06:08 |August 29, 2021 Podcast

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carousel horses — Photo by Rusty Watson on Unsplash

Horses in games, HUD swim goggles, newest Gartner hype cycle, Jolla, a signature that’s not an autograph, and NC barbecue.

Michael and Michael start out with a story about how horses are misrepresented in video game designs and some possible solutions.

Michael R shares that he’s participating in the FORM Smart Swim Goggles beta. Michael M has an idea about using the HUD during a race to show each participant data on their competitors.

Then, the co-hosts have a discussion about the current emerging technology on the recently released Gartner hype cycle. This leads to a conversation about Jolla’s Sailfish OS for mobile devices. Next up, is another situation where user records are exposed, and a public service announcement to change the ADMIN password to something other than ADMIN.

Wrapping things up for the episode, Michael and Michael take on a news story about a person who requested and autograph from Steve Jobs, and instead received a letter from him saying that he doesn’t give autographs. With a signature. It is interesting that Steve Jobs signature (not an autograph) is in lower case, as is the “hello” on the unveiling of the original MacIntosh, and lends more credence to the importance of typefaces and fonts in the original MacOS.

What’s your favorite font? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

The Mane Quest article: 8 Common Horse Mistakes I Want Game Designers to Stop Making — https://www.themanequest.com/blog/2021/8/22/8-common-horse-mistakes-i-want-game-developers-to-stop-making

The Verge article: Amazon’s New World MMO is getting an open beta on September 9th — https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/25/22640656/amazon-games-new-world-mmo-open-beta-date

ScreenRant article: These Goggles Give You A HUD While You Swim — https://screenrant.com/smart-swim-goggles-hud-form/

FORM Smart Swim Goggles — https://www.formswim.com

ZD Net article: Gartner releases its 2021 emerging tech hype cycle: Here’s what’s in and headed out — https://www.zdnet.com/article/gartner-releases-its-2021-emerging-tech-hype-cycle-heres-whats-in-and-headed-out/

TechCrunch article: Jolla hits profitability ahead of turning 10, eyes growth beyond mobile — https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/25/jolla-hits-profitability-ahead-of-turning-ten-eyes-growth-beyond-mobile

Jolla — https://jolla.com

Sailfish OS — https://sailfishos.org

The Verge article: Check your permissions: default settings in Microsoft tool exposes 38 million users records online — https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/24/22639106/microsoft-power-apps-default-permissions-settings-user-records-exposed-38-million-upgard

Newsweek article: Steve Jobs Letter Saying He Doesn’t Sign Autographs Sells for Almost $500k — https://www.newsweek.com/steve-jobs-letter-saying-he-doesnt-sign-autographs-sells-almost-500k-1621951

Digital Trends article: Steve Jobs: The godfather of fonts as we know them — https://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/steve-jobs-the-godfather-of-fonts-as-we-know-them/

TED talk: Steve Jobs | Stanford University — How to live before you die — https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die

History and Culture of Barbecue with John Shelton Reed — https://alumni.unc.edu/events/the-history-and-culture-of-barbecue-with-dr-john-shelton-reed/

Extended remix links for this week

The Campaign for Real Barbecue — http://www.truecue.org

a few of the topics discussed during John Shelton Reed’s History and Culture talk

Wilson County Barbecue — https://wilsoncountybarbecue.com

Mabel’s Barbecue — http://www.mabelsbbq.com

Ocracoke Oyster Company — https://obxguides.com/ocracoke/ocracokeoystercompany

Big Bob Gibson’s Bama Birds With White BBQ Sauce recipe — https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/chicken-recipes/big-bob-gibsons-bama-birds-white-bbq-sauce-recipe

Midwood Smokehouse — https://midwoodsmokehouse.com

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Episode 334 — Robux – NoBux

By Michael Martine | August 23, 2021 - 06:20 |August 22, 2021 Podcast

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Challenges with in-game currency exchange, ROMs, creating real-life webshooters, and HBD number 100 to Gene Roddenberry!

Michael and Michael start off this week’s episode with some happy birthday wishes for Gene Roddenberry and a story about how NASA is transmitting his voice into space.

Next up, an article about RomUniverse and a court decision requiring the site to shut down because of mass copyright infringement.

Then, a story about how video games are used for health benefits, which is right in the wheelhouse of this podcast. This reminded the cohosts about the virtual snow world (called SnowWorld) that helps burn victims cope with their pain using the game, instead of drugs. The BrainQ story is also reminiscent of the Emotiv headset, which both Michaels have used.

The cohosts then turn to a story from SixColors about the People Make Games video about Roblox. This video spells out in detail how digital content creators in the Roblox world have the opportunity to create in-world experiences that other Roblox players may participate in, and pay for using in-world Roblox currency. The trick is getting the in-world currency out of the virtual world and available outside of the virtual world. Michael R compares and contrasts with other virtual world currency (Linden dollars, etc) in his summary of the video and highly recommends the Games At Work audience watches the video.

Stories about real-life Spider-Man webshooters innovations, robbers using an Apple Watch to track their mark, an autonomous sub by Bedrock, Tesla’s AI day, and the team winds up with the recent update to Skyrim.

Speaking of Bedrock, several of the Hanna-Barbera characters surfaced in this week’s episode!

What’s your favorited Hanna-Barbera character? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !

Thanks for listening!