Games At Work dot Biz

Episode 240 — Game of Life

By Michael Martine | August 12, 2019 - 06:14 |August 11, 2019 Podcast

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game board with playing pieces — Photo by Michael Martine, 2019

After a couple of weeks of summer break, Michael and Michael get back together, with more stories than they can tackle in this one episode!

Kicking things off with an intriguing article about how gamification is applied to the ride sharing business of Uber & Lyft, Michael and Michael appreciate how the algorithms in the apps guide human behavior to optimize the financial outcomes. Keeping with the theme of driving, the pair then discuss how AI is being used to increase awareness of attentiveness, as in the case of the Yandex.Taxi service in Moscow.

With Michael R’s love of swimming the Form AR goggles make a big splash — showing the user how many laps and the time in AR right there in the pool. Google Maps’ new AR capability is highlighted in the Cult of Mac article, however, the new functionality hasn’t been rolled out to all Maps users just yet — we can’t wait to give it a try. And speaking of giving things a try, the cohosts are impressed with Apple’s in-store and certain city AR exhibitions called [AR]T Lab and [AR]T Walk respectively — see the links below for how these augmented reality art experiments come to life.

Wrapping things up for this episode, the pair talk about generative adversarial network models are used to create renaissance-style artwork from modern photos and you can see the results below.

For the stories that the co-hosts did not get a chance to discuss, see the bonus links below. Some incredible examples of new technology, from the MIT AlterEgo project to AI valets to the deployment of the LightSail 2. Check them out!

Selected Links

Logic Issue 6: Chasing the Pink — https://logicmag.io/play/chasing-the-pink/

Reveal radio episode August 3, 2019: Harpooned by Facebook — https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/harpooned-by-facebook/

Engaget article: Facial recognition will catch sleepy taxi drivers in Russia — https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/08/facial-recognition-will-catch-sleepy-taxi-drivers-in-russia/

Cult of Mac article: Form’s AR swim goggles blow Apple Watch out of the water — https://www.cultofmac.com/642892/form-swim-goggles-review/

Form AR swim goggles — https://www.formswim.com

TechCrunch article: Google launches ‘Live View’ AR walking directions for Google Maps — https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/08/google-launches-live-view-ar-walking-directions-for-google-maps/

Apple’s [AR]T Walk — https://www.apple.com/today/feature/augmentedrealities/

Daily Mail article: Apple experiments with augmented reality walks where visitors can interact with specially created artworks — https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7309457/Apple-stores-introduce-augmented-reality-experiences.html

Play Disney Parks iOS app — https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1463847569

MIT Technology Review article: Turn selfies into classical portraits with the AI that fuels deepfakes — https://www.technologyreview.com/f/613995/turn-selfies-into-classical-portraits-with-the-ai-gnerative-that-fuels-deep-fakes-gans/

Michael R's portrait — Michael R’s portrait

Bonus Links

MacRumor article: Apple Now Selling LEGO ‘Hidden Side’ Augmented Reality Building Kits — https://www.macrumors.com/2019/08/01/apple-lego-hidden-side-ar-kits/

Lego Hidden Side — https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/hidden-side/about

Digital Trends article: Don’t speak: This wearable lets you give voice commands without saying a word — https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/mit-alterego-technology-arnav-kapur/

MIT Media Lab AlterEgo project — https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/alterego/overview/

TechCrunch article: Daimler & Bosch’s driverless parking gets OK to operate without human supervision — https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/23/daimler-and-boschs-driverless-parking-feature-can-legally-operate-without-human-supervision/

MIT Technology Review article: You’re very easy to track down, even when your data has been anonymized — https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613996/youre-very-easy-to-track-down-even-when-your-data-has-been-anonymized/

The Verge article: Google now lists playable podcasts in search results — https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/10/18564035/google-search-podcasts-ios-desktop-web-player

Planetary Society article: Live Coverage: LightSail 2 Sail Deployment — http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/ls2-sail-deployment-live.html

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Episode 239 — Mooniversary

By Michael Martine | July 22, 2019 - 06:38 |July 21, 2019 Podcast

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Happy 50th Anniversary to Apollo 11! This past week marked multiple celebrations remembering how only a short 50 years ago, humankind first set foot on Earth’s moon, and listening to the tape from mission control, even now, we all hold our breath until we hear the words “Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Michael and Michael, space nerds that they are, decide to light this candle of an episode starting with the celebrations on the National Mall in Washington, DC, where the Washington Monument becomes the screen for an amazing presentation of the Apollo 11 story. Turning from the iconic launch to the steps on the Moon, the pair discuss the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore, and how it has been restrored and is on display once more at the Smithsonian Institute, as well as preserved in 3D digital form you can experience or even 3D print. Speaking of 3D printing, there is a ship named Archinaut One that is planned to be launched by the company Made In Space in 2022 to print 32 foot beams while in orbit, and further develop the techniques needed to construct spaceships in near Earth orbit. This reminded Michael R of the Planetary Society’s efforts with solar sailing and the LightSail 2 deployment in the past couple of days.

Coming back down to Earth, Michael and Michael discuss the interest in Virgin’s Hyperloop One efforts by the State of North Carolina, and getting smaller still, the concepts of machine learning done at the edge on embedded IoT devices.

Rounding out this intergalactic episode on games, UNC’s efforts to help improve patient outcomes and get patients home quicker provides ample ground for speculation on where the Adventure Squad game might go, and some fun discussions about a new Tolkien Middle-earth game by Amazon, focusing on the Second Age, which came well before The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Don’t hesitate to start your countdown to this space-filled episode!

Selected Links

NPR article: For Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary, The Washington Monument Becomes A Rocket — https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2019/07/16/742394200/for-apollo-11s-anniversary-the-washington-monument-becomes-a-rocket

WUSA channel 9 coverage of the Apollo 11 50th anniversary on the National Mall

Pigs in Space — https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Pigs_in_Space

Smithsonian 3D Neil Armstrong Spacesuit — https://3d.si.edu/armstrong

NPR article: Of Little Details And Lunar Dust: Preserving Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 Spacesuit — https://www.npr.org/2019/07/11/734031425/of-little-details-and-lunar-dust-preserving-neil-armstrongs-apollo-11-spacesuit

Engadget article: NASA backs demo that will 3D-print spacecraft parts in orbit — https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/14/nasa-backs-3d-printed-spacecraft-part-demo/

Planetary Society LightSail — http://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/lightsail-solar-sailing/

Planetary Society: LightSail 2 Sail Deployment — http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/ls2-sail-deployment-live.html

Gizmodo article: North Carolina Is Eyeing a Hyperloop One System for the Research Triangle — https://gizmodo.com/north-carolina-is-eyeing-a-hyperloop-one-system-for-the-1836318917

O’Reilly Media: The future of machine learning is tiny — https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/the-future-of-machine-learning-is-tiny

UNC Children’s Hospital Adventure Squad game

At @uncchildrens, a new video game is quickly gaining popularity. Two #UNC professors teamed up to design an interactive game called Adventure Squad that aims to keep patients active during treatments and shorten hospital stays: https://t.co/v2BD7punwX pic.twitter.com/5ryq2c3qQR
— UNC-Chapel Hill (@UNC) July 12, 2019

SlashFilm article: ‘Creepshow’ TV Series Trailer: It’s The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have Being Scared — https://www.slashfilm.com/creepshow-tv-series-trailer/

SlashFilm article: ‘Lord of the Rings’ MMO Video Game Coming From Amazon — https://www.slashfilm.com/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-video-game/

Christopher Tolkien’s Children of Hurin — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children_of_Húrin

NASA’s Astrovan — https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/astrovan.html

NASA’s Apollo 11 Image Gallery — https://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/apollo.html

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Episode 238 — Walkman and Walkbot

By Michael Martine | July 8, 2019 - 06:27 |July 7, 2019 Podcast

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Walkman — Image by fernando zhiminaicela from Pixabay

“I have a cunning plan” seems an apropos way to start off this week’s episode, but alas, it’s how the episode ends. Still, there are cunning plans in motion, starting with robots that are capable of self-assembly, deconstruction and self-re-assembly. Machine learning to translate long-forgotten languages. 3D printing to recreate ancient sculpture from crowdsourced pictures. Mesh communication without Wi-Fi or cell towers. Bluetooth enabled Sony Walkman to wirelessly stream cassette music. Blockchain enabled political action. All cunning plans, brought to life and discussed by your co-hosts Michael and Michael. Give this episode a listen!

Selected Links

TechCrunch article: MIT develops tiny ‘walking’ motor that helps more complex robots self-assemble — https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/02/mit-develops-tiny-walking-motor-that-help-more-complex-robots-self-assemble/

MIT Technology Review article: Machine learning has been used to automatically translate long-lost languages — https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613899/machine-learning-has-been-used-to-automatically-translate-long-lost-languages/

NavajoCode — https://navajocodetalkers.org

ZDNet article: Google resurrects Lion of Mosul statue with 3D printing following ISIS destruction — https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-resurrects-lion-of-mosul-with-3d-printing-after-isis-destruction/

TechCrunch article: Apple’s iOS 13 update will make FaceTime eye contact way easier — https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/03/apples-ios-13-update-will-make-facetime-eye-contact-way-easier/

Business Insider article: Apple’s new iPhone update could solve one of the biggest annoyances about video chatting — https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-13-beta-feature-fakes-eye-contact-in-facetime-2019-7

BGR article: Oppo’s new messaging app doesn’t need Wi-Fi or even cellular service to send and receive messages — https://bgr.com/2019/06/26/oppo-meshtalk-chat-apps-works-without-internet-wi-fi-or-cellular/

VentureBeat article: Oppo’s MeshTalk lets phones exchange data up to 3 kilometers without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cell service — https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/26/oppos-meshtalk-technology-lets-phones-exchange-data-up-to-3-kilometers-without-wi-fi-bluetooth-or-cellular-connectivity/

Oppo — https://www.oppo.com/en/

TechCrunch article: The cassette player finally goes Bluetooth — https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/04/the-cassette-player-finally-goes-bluetooth/

Sony Walkman Sports on Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com/pin/441775044679962556

TwelveSouth AirFly for AirPods — https://www.twelvesouth.com/products/airfly-for-airpods

MIT Technology Review article: We the Peeps will use blockchain to try to break the big-money monopoly in politics — https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613920/we-the-peeps-will-use-blockchain-to-try-and-break-politics-big-money-monopoly/

ArsTechnica article: Microsoft is teasing Windows 1.0 and other 1980s software — https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613920/we-the-peeps-will-use-blockchain-to-try-and-break-politics-big-money-monopoly/

ArsTechnica article: Rumor has it there’s a cunning plan to bring back Blackadder for fifth season — https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/07/rumor-has-it-theres-a-cunning-plan-to-bring-back-blackadder-for-fifth-season/

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Episode 237 — Tasty Robots

By Michael Martine | July 1, 2019 - 06:01 |June 30, 2019 Podcast

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tasty breakfast of yogurt and espresso — Photo by Michael Martine, 2016

Michael and Michael get together to cover a wide span of stories, somehow managing to not mention Star Wars at all (except for this writeup), taking the listeners on an AI, robotic and mind-controlling journey through space and time. Staring with the new AI innovations from Microsoft to guide presentation rehearsals for success through the ways that AI is being trained, such as with Mannequin Challenge videos to AR stories like the new Harry Potter game and the Apollo 11 experiences celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, the pair do cover significant ground.

All this leads up to a pair of intriguing advances in the field of robotics, where researchers from Carnegie Mellon and UC Davis showcase mind control without surgery, and biosensing robotics that can taste what they touch. You won’t want to miss this del.icio.us episode of Games At Work!

Selected Links

TechCrunch article: Microsoft PowerPoint gets an AI presentation coach — https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/18/microsofts-powerpoint-will-use-ai-to-make-you-a-better-public-speaker/

Clippy — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Assistant

Clippy on Twitter — https://twitter.com/TheClippy

The Verge article: Microsoft resurrects Clippy and then brutally kills him off again — https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/22/18276923/microsoft-clippy-microsoft-teams-stickers-removal

Engadget article: Google researchers trained AI with you Mannequin Challenge videos — https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/27/google-researchers-trained-ai-with-your-mannequin-challenge-vide/

The Verge article: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will launch on Friday — https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/18/18684546/harry-potter-wizards-unite-release-date-announced

TechCrunch article: NASA’s historic Apollo 11 launch comes to your phone in AR — https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/20/nasas-historic-apollo-11-launch-comes-to-your-phone-in-ar/

Lego Lunar Lander — https://shop.lego.com/en-US/product/NASA-Apollo-11-Lunar-Lander-10266

Games At Work episode 234 with the Statue of Liberty AR experience — https://gamesatwork.biz/2019/05/28/episode-234-bots-in-cars/

TechCrunch article: Researchers create first mind-controlled robot arm that work well without surgery — https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/20/researchers-create-first-mind-controlled-robot-arm-that-works-well-without-surgery/

Carnegie Mellon University news: Researchers Develop First Mind-controlled Robotic Arm Without Brain Implants — https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2019/june/mind-controlled-robotic-arm.html