Episode 232 — Beep-Boop

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Photo by Michael Martine 2019

Games loom large in this episode of Games At Work, as they should!  With Google announcing the Stadia game streaming service, there is quite a buzz building about the ways how this might work, and what games could be served up in this environment.  Michael and Michael talk about the possibilities of converting viewers and spectators into participants in the gaming experience.

After a discussion on the new Oculus Rift S, the co-hosts discuss Rovio’s foray into AR with the Angry Birds franchise, due out in late spring.  Michael R compares it to the AR games he’s played and the pair is excited to give it a try.

Star Wars enters into the conversation, both from a game remake in Unreal as well as comparing the AI capabilities the US Air Force is employing to the famous astromech R2-D2.  AI is also being used by Volvo for their passenger cars to improve safety, and raises some intriguing privacy concerns.

Selected Links

TechCrunch article: The 9 biggest questions about Google’s Stadia game streaming service — https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/the-9-biggest-questions-about-googles-stadia-game-streaming-service/

CNet article: Google Stadia gaming at GDC 2019: Everything just announced — https://www.cnet.com/news/google-stadia-gaming-at-gdc-2019-everything-just-announced/ 

Kotaku article: Fan Is Remaking The First Level of Star Wars: Dark Forces In Unreal Engine 4 — https://kotaku.com/fans-are-remaking-star-wars-dark-forces-in-unreal-engi-1833335006 

Star Wars: Dark Forces — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Dark_Forces 

TechCrunch article: The Oculus Rift S is real and arrives in spring for $399 — https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/20/the-oculus-rift-s-is-indeed-real-and-arrives-in-spring-for-399/ 

Patently Apple article: Angry Birds ‘Isle of Pigs’ will be Rovio’s First Augmented Reality Game coming to Apple’s Mobile Devices Late Spring — https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2019/03/angry-birds-isle-of-pigs-will-be-rovios-first-augmented-reality-game-coming-to-apples-mobile-devices-late-spring.html 

Popular Mechanics article: The Air Force’s New AI Is Like R2-D2 for Fighter Jets — https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a26871027/air-force-ai-fighter-plane-skyborg/ 

Car and Driver article: Every Volvo Will Get In-Car Cameras to Combat Distraction and Drunk Driving — https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a26893035/volvo-interior-cameras-distraction-drunk-driving/ 

TechCrunch article: Apple announces new AirPods — https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/20/apple-announces-new-airpods/

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Episode 231 — Great Googlie Mooglie

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Google Maps London directions

This episode focuses on some of the topics that Michael and Michael really love:  games, VR, AR and robots.  As Michael M was on the road this week, it’s only fitting that he was recording from his car.  Starting off with the concept of when games begin to feel like work, the co-hosts discuss when and how that feeling has happened for them.  

Turning to VR, and how it is being used to change how companies recruit and provide employee education, Michael and Michael remark on the power that VR can bring, and how it may also increase empathy and understanding of employees in the field by those in headquarters.  

Then donning an-as-yet-speculative pair of AR specs, the pair contemplate how an Apple entrant into the AR glasses space might work, and how the fashion experience driven by the other wearable in the Apple portfolio, the Apple Watch may help the company gain a leg up.  The newly enabled AR capabilities of Google Maps point a way to the future, where the camera begins to recognize the exact orientation of the user by the buildings around them, and direct them with AR where the user wants to go.  Staying with the maps theme, we have examples of games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, using Google Earth, and the latest example of the Niantic engine, which powers the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game.

Closing things out for this episode is with a new robotic car mover that is about to be deployed in France.  Check out the shownotes for a video on how this robot can park your car for you.

Selected Links

Kotaku article: It’s Okay To Stop Playing — https://kotaku.com/its-okay-to-stop-playing-1833145712 

World of Warcraft — https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/battle-for-azeroth 

Red Dead Redemption 2 — https://www.rockstargames.com/games/info/reddeadredemption2

CNN Business article: How VR is transforming HR — https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/26/tech/vr-transforming-hr-intl-biz-evolved/index.html 

Deutsche Bundesbahn — https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml 

DW.com article: Deutsche Bahn pumps billions into Germany-wide rail upgrade — https://www.dw.com/en/deutsche-bahn-pumps-billions-into-germany-wide-rail-upgrade/a-47596788 

Inverse article: Apple AR Glasses: Launch Date, Price, Features & Design for Secretive Specs — https://www.inverse.com/article/53927-apple-ar-glasses-launch-date-price-features 

MacBreak Weekly Episode 652 Ironic Sans — https://www.twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly/episodes/652 

Owen Williams tweet on the AR capabilities of Google Maps: 


Mashable article: Carmen Sandiego brings classic PC game vibes with a new heist on Google Earth — https://mashable.com/article/carmen-sandiego-google-earth-crown-jewels 

Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego — https://earth.google.com/web/data=CiQSIhIgYmU3N2ZmYzU0MTc1MTFlOGFlOGZkMzdkYTU5MmE0MmE 

TechCrunch article: Niantic’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is a sorcerous smorgasbord for the Pokemon Go generation — https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/11/niantics-harry-potter-wizards-unite-is-a-sorcerous-smorgasbord-for-the-pokemon-go-generation/ 

TechCrunch article: This robot can park your car for you — https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/14/this-robot-can-park-your-car-for-you/ 

Stanley Robotics — https://stanley-robotics.com 

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Episode 230 – Dance this AR Around

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Photo by Fancycrave.com from Pexels

This week’s episode focuses on how augmented reality can change how fashion is immediately distributed across the world in real time, broadcasting images from the runway to wherever the user wishes to view the show.  Also, an intriguing use case for uniform and retail clothing sales using AR to allow people to virtually try on their clothing in an industry 4.0 mass customization way, saving money, and further integrating supply chains.

The co-hosts have another interesting privacy and security discussion, this time dealing with the CourtTech idea of using mobile apps, AI and geolocation to facilitate faster resolution of custody issues, and ensure adherence to court-mandated decisions.  

The team wraps up with a couple of examples of tech companies shutting down, per the reports on the robot Jibo and electric automotive company Faraday Future.

Selected Links

Forbes article: Groundbreaking Augmented Reality Fashion Show Streamed to Global Audience — https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookerobertsislam/2019/03/05/groundbreaking-augmented-reality-fashion-show-streamed-to-global-audience 

Gary York’s tweet — 


Retail TouchPoints article:  When New Technologies Like Augmented Reality Help You See Your Business Differently — https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/executive-viewpoints/when-new-technologies-like-augmented-reality-help-you-see-your-business-differently

Mashable article: Custody dispute? A judge can order you to use this app with your ex. — https://mashable.com/article/coparenter-app-court-mandate-privacy-concerns 

coParenter app — https://coparenter.com 

Engadget article: Social robot Jibo does one last dance before its servers shut down — https://www.engadget.com/2019/03/04/social-robot-jibo-shutting-down-message/ 

Business Insider article:  Faraday Future is almost out of money and forcing some workers to take unpaid leave — https://www.businessinsider.in/faraday-future-is-almost-out-of-money-and-forcing-some-workers-to-take-unpaid-leave-report/articleshow/66437339.cms 

MacStories article: shortcuts archive — https://www.macstories.net/shortcuts/ 

Apple Music Wrapped shortcut — https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/0521d61c38b04e29967159d1f2bc005c 

Inverse article: Lightsaber Workshop at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Is a Cut Above Toys — https://www.inverse.com/article/53728-star-wars-galaxys-edge-lightsaber-workshop-savi-and-son 

B52’s new release, Live at Love & Rockets, 1998 — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/live-at-rock-n-rockets-1998/1453018958

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Episode 229 – 5G Coffee

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Coffee at the Vienna airport
Photo by Michael Martine, 2016

With MWC just wrapping up, Michael and Michael turn their attention to coffee dispensing robots, specifically those that are taking advantage of the faster 5G network to execute the heavier workloads on the cloud.  This story reminded the team of the super fast robot capabilities to catch items thrown to them, as well as solving a Rubik’s Cube at lightning speed.  

On the musical front, the pair marvel at the MidiWrist Apple Watch app makes the watch a midi controller (see the demo video below), and this reminded Michael R of his recent pick, the AudioKit Synth One.

Selected Links

Inverse article: The Barista Robots at MWC 2019 Offer an Exciting Taste of 5G-Powered Robots — https://www.inverse.com/article/53607-mwc-2019-robots-5g 

dal.komm coffee b;eat robot cafe — http://www.dalkomm.com/tag/robot-cafe/ 

INNFOS — http://www.innfos.com/home_en 

MWC 2019 Barcelona— https://www.mwcbarcelona.com 

Speedy robotics arm catches anything 

MIT Robot Breaks Rubik’s Cube Record 

MidiWrist — http://uwyn.com/midiwrist/ 

MidiWrist demo 

AudioKit Synth One — https://audiokitpro.com/synth/ 

Ian Hughes / epredator trying out the Microsoft Hololens 2

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