Weekly Spring-Time Linkfest

Weekly Spring-Time Linkfest

The spring is here (unless you live below the equator, and somehow don't fall off the face of the earth), and it brings some great links (and allergens) :

• Librarian’s dream app – researchers from Miami University created an augmented reality meets mobile application to help keep books ordered on libraries' shelves.
• Beats me why the need the money, I always assumed they make millions, but Total Immersion gets USD $5,5M in funding led by Intel Capital (which, interestingly, also funded Layar).
• Quimo from the University of South Australia, is like play-doh for augmented reality. This "deformable material" supports "freeform modeling in spatial AR environments" by embedding almost invisible AR markers.
• "The Witness" is a German half-movie-half alternative reality game that uses AR (or pseudo-AR) to move the plot forward (via @GaryPHayes).
• Comedian Ricky Gervais dismisses augmented reality as "a load of bollocks" (via @Layar).

This week's featured video is coming to us from Microsoft, a company that develops stunning technologies just to see them later made into products and sold by the likes of Apple. Here they develop a "Photosynth Lite", enabling users to create 3d models by taking a few pictures with their cellphones. I wonder where this technology can be applied:



You can read more about this on Technology Review.

Have a sunny week!