Games At Work dot Biz: Recent Episodes
Michael Rowe, Michael Martine, Andy Piper
Photo by Eyekeeper Eyekeeper on UnsplashPublished 30 September 2024
Co-hosts Andy, Michael and Michael are reunited and start things off with thorough discussion on the “Clark Kent-esque” Meta Orion augmented reality glasses. The Verge article on this subject brings several perspectives into focus from the cohosts. One observation drew attention to the “neural wristband” used to capture gestures like fingers pinching to represent a click. Another saw the puck as another object to keep track of, when in theory a phone may serve the same purpose to deliver the off-glasses compute power. The team drew comparisons to the Ray-Ban Meta discussed on previous episodes, and used by Andy while recording this show. While the Ray-Ban edition does not have the augmented reality capabilities, it does provide an on-the-go connection with an AI agent to ask questions. Harkening back to prior episodes, this kind of human augmentation will most certainly have societal and behavioral changes in how people interact with one another. Check out e192 from 2018 for one such example. Interestingly enough, the point of Zuckerberg and Alex Heath using the Orion glasses to play an Augmented Reality version of Pong was not mentioned on this Games at Work episode! Check out e400 for another story on AR Pong in the show notes!
The co-hosts discuss the repairability of the newest iPhone, the Halide and Panels apps before rounding out the episode with a conversation on how touchscreen kiosks have changed the nature of fast food ordering in some unexpected ways.
How do you expect new instances of AI and AR hardware to change how people interact with one another? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksHardwareThe Verge article: Meta’s Big Tease
@viticci yep. Also Meta admitting that they tried to make this a product but it's "years" away… is strikingly similar to Gurman's reports about Apple doing the same thing. Apple just doesn't show its prototypes.
It does make me think this is happening sooner than I expected, though.
— Jason Snell :zeppelin: (@jsnell@zeppelin.flights)
2024-09-25T19:30:03.394Z
Games At Work e192: PVP-Y with Mr. Mumbles
Meta Quest 3S
Games at Work e400: Quadringenti (for AR Pong)
ZD Net article: The iPhone 16 is the most-repairable iPhone yet, according to iFixit
Hackaday article: Hands-On With New iPhone’s Electrically-Released Adhesive
Ebay: Travel case for the 27” iMac
Software9 to 5 Mac article: Halide rejected from the App Store because it doesn’t explain why the camera takes photos
The latest Halide update was rejected because, after seven years, a random reviewer decided our permission prompt wasn't descriptive enough.
I don't know how to explain why a camera app needs camera permissions.
— Ben Sandofsky (@sandofsky@mastodon.social)
2024-09-22T13:14:28.170Z
The Verge article: Marques Brownlee says ‘I hear you’ after fans criticize his new wallpaper app
Time Flies by Koen van Gilst
The Lost Outpost blog post: The Web, made by Humans
The Lost Outpost blog post: I love the Web
Unexpected Technology OutcomesCNN article: McDonald’s touchscreen kiosks were feared as job killers. Instead, something surprising happened
Michael Martine
Photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on UnsplashPublished 23 September 2024
Co-hosts Michael and Michael start things off with several Apple software updates, beginning with visionOS 2. The referenced article in the show notes below gives you the visual experience enhancements that the Apple software developers have incorporated into the update. Michael R shares his experiences with visionOS 2, and his assessment of all of the usability and functionality improvements.
Michael and Michael then turn their attention to the software updates for the AirPods Pro, which will allow these devices to act as hearing aids given the H2 chip and microphones. The co-hosts have a spirited discussion about the social norm implications of people wearing their AirPods more, and how people will interact with one another if the assumption is that the wearer is listening to their AirPods.
After several articles dealing with the challenges posed by the Starlink and other satellites in Earth orbit, Michael and Michael touch on the new version of Flappy Bird. Check out the show notes below for a hardware instantiation of Flappy Bird from e468.
Rounding out the episode with, you guessed it, a Doom game contained in a keyboard keycap and a walking coffee table, reminiscent of the strandbeest kinetic sculptures from Theo Jansen.
What other furniture should be able to walk around? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksNot an Apple PodcastMacStories.net article: visionOS 2: The MacStories Review
ZDnet article: Apple says the iPhone 16 is a lot easier to repair than its predecessor. Here’s how
9 to 5 Mac article: AirPods Pro hearing aid upgrade hits stocks of major brands
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Satellites and SoftwareAstron.NL article: Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations
futurism.com article: Researchers Say They Can Detect Stealth Aircraft Using Starlink Satellites
BBC article: Musk’s satellites ‘blocking’ view of the universe
Engadget article: Flappy Bird’s creator wants you to know he’s got nothing to do with the new version
Games at Work e468: Andy’s Fun Time
Flappy Bird Arcade Game photo by Andy Piper June 2024Doom Keycap & Walking Coffee Tablehackster.io article: Keyboard Warriors
Hackaday article: Mobile Coffee Table Uses Legs to Get Around
Michael Martine
Photo by Possessed Photography on UnsplashPublished 16 September 2024
Co-hosts Michael and Michael start things off with an article by Gizmodo reporting on a recent patent reportedly structured to listen to in-car conversations in order to serve up highly targeted advertising. This common refrain over the years has taken on new focus given the recent reporting about the active listening for advertisement targeting. An extreme view for how this such AR advertising may surface can be experienced in the “Hyper-Reality” YouTube video in the show notes, or the WayRay example from 2019’s CES discussed in e223.
Next up, is Lucas Martinic’s innovative example of a mixed reality pen to select a color from the environment, and then to draw in the mixed reality environment using the color of the pen. It will be easiest to check out the show notes below to see precisely how this is done. This reminds Michael and Michael of several other color picking and 3D drawing tools – check out the show notes to see these examples.
Switching to games, it is nigh impossible for Michael and Michael (and Andy) to miss commenting on a Doom experience, and the exemplar for this episode uses a volumetric display to play the classic game. A discussion on the therapeutic use of Dungeons and Dragons spurs a couple of additional sidebars including the fantastic When We Were Wizards podcast series – be sure to check this out after completing the Games at Work backlog.
Then, the co-hosts turn to another common theme across many episodes of the podcast – how generative AI will influence game experiences by customizing the experience of the player and tailoring the storytelling to their preferences. An example of this with Dungeons and Dragons can be found in episode e412 from early 2023, and there several other examples over the run of the show. The article from Rock, Paper, Shotgun deals with this theme as well, and provides fertile ground for Michael and Michael to discuss.
Rounding out the episode, the co-hosts discuss NYU’s Robot Utility Models, noticing the scratches on the drawers and a spacewalk that is not quite a spacewalk, but still a remarkable feat by civilian space travelers.
What example of Doom have you seen that Andy, Michael and Michael have not yet commented on? How might you use Lucas Martinic’s creative use of an AR color picker and pen? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksServing Up Unwanted AdsGizmodo article: Ford Seeks Patent for Software That Records Your Conversations to Serve You Ads
Patent US-20240289844-A1_I on documentcloud.org
Patent US20240289844A1 on Google Patents
Games at Work e479: Listen Up, Outlaws!
WayRay’s holographic windshield tech from CES 2019 – https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/videos/ces-2019-wayray-holographic-windshield-tech-will-grace-the-genesis-g80/
Games at Work e223: CES and C64
ARCreative Bloq article: Ingenious XR colour app is an exciting glimpse into the future of digital art
8/100 "What if you could extract the color from real objects around you?"
Part of the submission for the @xraihack in Stockholm.
Using the @Logitech MX Stylus pen.#XRHACK #XR #Unity #Quest #Meta #VR #PresentFutures pic.twitter.com/k5EhnmgzIS— Lucas Martinic (@lucas_martinic) September 9, 2024
Present Futures
Benjamin Moore Color Match Tool
3Doodler 3D Pen
Games at Work e460: AskEmilyPost: AI etiquette
Upload VR article: Steam Decktop: Steam Deck & Meta Quest HDMI Link Make A Modular Gaming PC
GamesHackaday article: Doom on a Volumetric Display
Techdirt article: D&D, Once The Subject Of Moral Panic, Found Therapeutic In Autism Cases In Study
R&D Mag article: Virtual “SnowWorld” Help Burn Victims Cope with Extreme Pain
When We Were Wizards podcast
Wikipedia article: Mazes and Monsters by Rona Jaffe
Ctrl-C Club blog post: Holy smokes, I just released a MiniGolf game for Palm OS in 2024
Rock, Paper, Shotgun article: Peter Molyneux thinks generative AI is the future of games, all but guaranteeing that it won’t be
Games at Work e412: 3D or Not 3D
RobotsThreads post: Robot Utility Models
Robot Utility Models
SpaceCNN article: Four civilians on a daring SpaceX mission complete the first commercial spacewalk
Michael Martine
Photo by Blaz Photo on UnsplashPublished 9 September 2024
Co-hosts Michael and Michael start things off by reflecting on last week’s episode with a couple of articles related to last week’s episode on music streaming royalties.
Next up, is a listener link on MiniMax, a new text to video GenAI capability, which sparks (✨) a conversation on individualized customized entertainment. After touching on the Brave browser, the co-hosts marvel at a mycelia powered robot – another listener link. Michael and Michael are reminded of how trees communicate with one another – check out the links below for Pando and the book Michael M couldn’t remember at the time, The Overstory by Richard Powers.
Then, some speculation on the upcoming Apple Event next week – Ready to Glow. Michael R points out that the Apple Watch announcement was 10 years ago, which is hard to believe.
Rounding out this episode is the announcement between Nike and LEGO which is fun to speculate on what this partnership may bring, and an MQTT / NodeRed enabled garage door home automation solution that does not require sharing data to any cloud.
What other biohybrid robots have you heard of? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksStreaming HeistNew York Times article: The Bands and the Fans Were Fake. The $10 Million Was Real.
Ars Technica article: FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist
Games at Work e479: Listen Up, Outlaws!
ABA Journal post: Prominent 1970s musicians sue music companies for copyright infringement
AITom’s Guide article: Forget Sora — MiniMax is a new realistic AI video generator and it’s seriously impressive
Games at Work e478: Doomed, I Say!
Brave
Futurism article: Scientists Grew a Mushroom Into This Robot to Act As Its Brain
Cornell Chronicle Article: Biohybrid robots controlled by electrical impulses — in mushrooms
Wikipedia article: Pando (tree)
Smithsonian Magazine article: Do Trees Talk to Each Other?
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
AppleMacworld article: Ready to Glow! iPhone, Apple Watch, and everything else to expect at Apple’s event
Sixcolors post: Apple’s September event: The delight will be in the details
Apple Events
Random Thoughts blog post: WWDC 2024 Impressions and insights
MiscellanyNike press release: Nike and the LEGO Group Unite to Elevate the Power of Sport and Creative Play
LEGO Group press release: The LEGO Group and NIKE, Inc. unite to elevate the power of creative play and sport
acquired.fm season 13, episode 1: Nike
Ars Technica article: I added a ratgdo to my garage door, and I don’t know why I waited so long
Ratgdo
Photo by Ruth Durbin on Unsplash
Published 2nd September 2024
Andy and Michael R. spend the show discussing advertising, AI, and games.
First up, there’s a shocking story from the excellent 404 Media that covers “the pitch deck” that Cox Media Group (CMG) uses to sell their clients on hyper targeted advertising using audio from our personal smart devices. Michael goes on to encourage us all to disable Automatic Content Recognition on our smart TVs with the help of a story from ZDNet.
In the AI segment, the co-hosts consider Midjourney’s move into hardware. Andy mentions a recent blog post of his own that looks at the good and bad ways that LLMs can be used. Bad folks are farming plays on Spotify and stealing revenue from real artists. And, why play a game that originally required a 33MHz i386 CPU with 4Mb of RAM, when you can use AI and burn megawatts of power to generate small parts of a new level?
To round things out, Michael and Andy talk the latest Star Wars game, a paper version of Oregon Trail, Dungeons and Dragons, and Michael’s desire to get a group together to play games in Demeo in VR.
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. Since we post this sentence every week it does look a bit automated, though. Anyway! That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksAdvertising404 Media article: Here’s the Pitch Deck for Active Listening Ad Targeting
How to turn off ACR
AI
Midjourney makes Hardware
Andy’s post AI-ngels and Demons
Fake bands on Spotify
AI makes DOOM
GamingStar Wars Outlaws
Oregon Trail Book
D&D Revolution
Demeo
Published 26 August 2024
Co-hosts Michael, Michael and Andy start things off on a fun note – a website that creates text in Doom, Minecraft and other fonts.
Next up, the team turns to Ian Hughes for two intriguing posts over the Feeding Edge. First up is Ian’s blog and video showing the power of midjourney.com, runway.ml and luma.ai . The second post deals with Ian feeding his two novels Reconfigure and Cont3xt into a local copy of Nomic.ai on his MacBook and conversing with his protagonist. The Games at Work cohosts are all hoping that this jumpstarts the writing of third book. Ian himself imagines how a generated metaverse could be created following the ingestion of the novels.
Sticking with the theme, the team then turns to the symbolism used by many firms to signify the application of AI. According to the Wall Street Journal, sparkles ✨ are used by Google, Slack and more. This sparks (heh!) a discussion on the power of such symbolism, and Andy shares a recent blog post he wrote on the subject, with a specific focus on a symbol for the Fediverse, specifically the asterism ⁂ unicode2042. This reminds Michael M of the symbol for therefore ∴ unicode2234.
Then, the co-hosts discuss the SAG-AFTRA agreement to partner with Narrativ for the use of audio voice replicas, and the arrangement allowing the people whose voices are being used to have a significant amount of control over how and when their voices are ethically used. Michael R points out that this may have some market limiting impacts for new voices.
Once the team completes the AI review, they spend a few moments on the world of games and gaming. A Guinness world record of 444 consoles hooked into a single television is a marvel. Tramsterfam is reminiscent of Townscaper. Other games include the Smithsonian’s partnership with Crayola, the newest Sid Meyer’s CivVII and an upcoming television series called Secret Level.
What do you think about the symbolism discussed in this episode? Do you have a favorite? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksDoom Font Generator for Games at Work
Metaverse and AIIan Hughes’ The Feeding Edge blog post: A short video about Metaverse
Ian Hughes’ The Feeding Edge blog post: Talking with an AI of Roisin from my novels
Reconfigure Book
The Wall Street Journal article: How the Sparkles Emoji Became the Symbol of Our AI Future
Andy Piper’s The Lost Outpost blog post: On Symbols & Symbolism
⁂ Asterism
∴ Therefore
Procreate
Variety article: SAG-AFTRA Strikes Groundbreaking AI Digital Voice Replica Pact With Startup Firm Narrativ
The Animaniacs: Variety Speak song
Narrativ.ai
GamesGuinness Book of World Records post: Gaming is serious business for man with 444 consoles hooked up to one TV
Tramsterdam
Townscaper
Andy Piper’s The Lost Outpost blog post: The Collage Atlas
Ars Technica article: Civilization VII hands-on: This strategy sequel rethinks the long game
The Verge article: Civilization 7 launches in February
Photo by Clint Patterson on UnsplashPublished 19 August 2024
Co-hosts Andy, Michael and Michael start things off on a quantum note, where a particle can be two places at once. Actually, according to the New Scientist article, the angular momentum could be disembodied from the particle. In related news, the collapsing of the quantum field for whether a player is offsides or not in the Premier League will now be determined by a bevy of iPhone instead of VAR.
Moving right along to the AI theme for the week, the co-hosts take a look at a build your own version of the Rabbit that the team over at Comfyspace have called the Rappit. Then, they bring up the challenges associated with training LLMs, and the solution from ProRata.ai, which aims to compensate creators when GenAI results leverage the creator’s intellectual property. This leads to a recent report in The Verge of ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s comments at a Stanford economics class.
Next up are some examples of non-AI hardware, in the form of a wearable computer which takes advantage of XReal Air AR glasses and a Corne keyboard. And there’s something just wonderful about the Carabiner Collection website.
Wrapping up this week’s episode, the co-hosts discuss the Pluralistic post about the DoJ’s decision on Google, and a browser based version of Diablo.
Do you believe that Andy’s Logitech mouse has it in for him? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksQuantumNew Scientist article: New spin on quantum theory forces rethink of a fundamental physics law
Gizmodo article: The Premier League Is Ditching VAR in Favor of Dozens of iPhones to Call Offsides
AI Hardware & SoftwareRappit
Games at Work e464: AI Piano Man
Wired article: Generative AI Has a ‘Shoplifting’ Problem. This Startup CEO Has a Plan to Fix It
ProRata.ai
The Verge article: Ex-Google CEO says successful AI startups can steal IP and hire lawyers to ‘clean up the mess’
Stanford Econ295 transcript Eric Schmidt
Non-AI Hardwarehackster.io article: This Wearable Computing Rig Combines Augmented Reality, Ergonomic Keyboards, and Cardboard
XReal Air Augmented Reality Glasses
Corne keyboard
Carabiner Collection
GooglePluralistic: Daily Links from Cory Doctorow: The paradox of choice screens (12 Aug 2024)
Games & Other Software
Behold, Diablo is fully playable in your browser
It controls and looks great, though the game was outshined by its sequels.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/08/behold-diablo-is-fully-playable-in-your-browser/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
— Ars Technica (@arstechnica@mastodon.social)
2024-08-15T21:16:29.078Z
Diablo web
Photo by Cristina Hernández on UnsplashPublished 11 August 2024
Co-hosts Andy, Michael and Michael start things off with a couple of callbacks to last week’s episode, including Ian Hughes’ reply on exoframes, the Logitech Forever Mouse and the reports of the rate of returns on the Humane AI pin.
Switching then to a story local to Michael, Michael and Andy, the co-hosts talk about the University of North Carolina using Oxford Medical Simulation to teach nursing students in virtual reality. This reminds Michael M of a rather old iOS game, Surgeon Simulator.
Sticking with the (quasi) medical theme, Andy then shares an experience of one of his recent blog posts going viral Hacker News. Check out the images in the show notes below to see the detailed graphs.
After sharing Ian’s recent talk at the Chartered Institute for IT and Andy’s upcoming appearance on the TechGrumps podcast, the team turns to Mac hardware and software.
Beginning with NotchNook, and the reported challenges with payment systems, the co-hosts quickly turn to the SuperDrive. Not surprisingly, all three co-hosts have a SuperDrive, though Michael M doesn’t know where his is. Michael R shared a note about one of his favorite pieces of software, VinylStudio, which sparks a discussion on what it means to own media in this day and age.
Wrapping things up this episode are several recommendations – Doom and a couple of intriguing podcasts not called Games at Work. When We Were Wizards is a podcast dealing with an oral history of Dungeons & Dragons. Acquired is a podcast that tells the stories and strategies in depth of great companies.
Do you know where Michael M’s SuperDrive is? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksAndy’s phone answering glasses – Ray-Ban Smart Meta Glasses
@gamesatwork_biz fyi I can confirm I don’t have lots of exoframes filling up office or shed space 🙂 tempted a few times but maybe when I am a little more frail I might bother. Also the Rabbit R1, got it for that precise reason to see how it felt to have physical object doing AI not just an app, but it also looks great next to the playdate game machine. Annoyingly the roaming sim I put in it didn’t work on holiday (for translations etc) and no way to mess with the mobile settings.
— Epredator (@epredator@mastodon.online)
2024-08-06T15:36:44.181Z
The Verge article: Now Logitech says the ‘forever mouse’ was just an idea
Mashable article: Humane AI Pins are being returned at a ridiculous pace
Medical VRWUNC article: UNC-Chapel Hill gets funding to continue virtual reality pilot for nursing students
Carolina Nursing post: Virtual Reality Simulations Bring Real-World Healthcare Scenarios to the Classroom
Oxford Medical Simulation
Surgeon Simulator
Going ViralThe lost outpost blog post: MNT Pocket Reform: first impressions
July 31 2024 views & visitorsAugust 7, 2024 views and visitorsHacker News rankings over timePodcasts & TalksTechgrumps 3.18
Mac Hardware and SoftwareiMore article: This MacBook app generated $100,000 in seven days, now Stripe won’t pay up
NotchNook
Games at Work e383: Notchy McNotchface
512 Pixels article: The SuperDrive
VinylStudio by AlpineSoft
SuperDuper by Shirt Pocket Software
Alfred by Running with Crayons
Kelly Gallagher Sims blog post: Ownership in the Rental Age
I share my screen on Teams all the time, and I think drawing/design apps that want to sample colours outside of their windows with the eyedropper tool also need to use this API, so looks like I’m gonna be seeing this a lot…
Apple have made Mac OS into exactly the thing they made fun of Windows Vista for. After some time, no one is going to be reading these dialogues anyway, people will blindly click on “allow”, effectively working against the intent of better security.
https://mastodon.online/@9to5Mac/112916905882020099— Tuomas Hämäläinen (@tuomas_h@mastodon.social)
2024-08-06T20:49:16.328Z
Co-Host RecommendationsBethesda post: DOOM + DOOM II Release Notes
When We Were Wizards podcast
Acquired podcast
Photo by Pablo Gentile on UnsplashPublished 5 August 2024
The co-hosts are back to full strength with Andy, Michael and Michael getting together to talk through the week’s stories.
The cohosts start things off with several examples of telepresence. The Open-TeleVision project provides for teleoperation of a remote robot using VR headsets like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. This reminds the team of earlier telepresence examples of an iPad on a mobile platform. Next is a story about Synchron’s brain implant to allow people to control an Apple Vision Pro. This sparks a lively conversation among the co-hosts about the relative utility of such control, and also brings in a story about how Apple Vision Pro gestures may be leveraged across iOS, iPadOS and MacOS.
The co-hosts have another lively discussion about the new exoskeleton hiking pants from Arc’Teryx. This reminds the co-hosts of an earlier episode of AI powered pants.
Turning to AI, the team digs into a ChatGPT choose your own adventure game, where the user can push against the established guardrails. This brings up the prior episode’s conversation on Baldur’s Gate, and how the Larian developers “fuel and reward” player creativity. Then, it’s all about the new AI startup called Friend. Andy references how a significant amount of the initial funding was consumed by purchasing the friend.com domain name. The co-hosts take on the thought of how many of the recent AI startups have had a physical instantiation such has Humane’s AI pin, and the Rabbit R1, even though the AI could be supported through existing devices users carry around with them all the time such as their phones and smart watches. The co-hosts can’t resist the temptation to include other “hello, Friend(s)” references – see the show notes below for some of them.
Wrapping things up this episode is a treatment on a ‘forever mouse’ from Logitech.
What is your perfect idea of an AI hardware device? Would you buy a mouse as a service? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksHardwareHackaday article: Re-Imagining Telepresence with Humanoid Robots and VR Headsets
Games at Work e270: Virtual Bricks
CNBC article: Neuralink rival Synchron’s brain implant now lets people control Apple’s Vision Pro with their minds
Synchron
Apple Insider article: Apple Vision Pro gestures may spread to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac
The Verge article: Arc’teryx’s new powered pants could make hikers feel 30 pounds lighter
Arc’teryx blog: Arc’teryx and Skip Partner to Introduce Mo/Go(tm): Revolutionizing Mobility With the World’s First Pair of Powered Pants
Games at Work e241: Smarty Pants
AIPolygon article: We pushed this ChatGPT game to the limits, but playing it the right way is more fun
friend.com
The Verge article: Your new AI Friend is almost ready to meet you
404 Media article: AI ‘Friend’ Company Spent $1.8 Million and Most of Its Funds on Domain Name
replika.com
Star Wars Lola (L0-LA59)
Dulcé Sloan’s Hello, Friends!: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs
IMDB Friends TV Series
Ars Technica article: Outsourcing emotion: The horror of Google’s “Dear Sydney” AI ad
The Lost Outpost blog post: Art, and Algorithms vs AI
MIT Technology Review article: A new tool for copyright holders can show if their work is in AI training data
Games at Work e451: Fahrenheit
Mouse as a ServiceThe Verge article: Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber wants your next mouse to last forever
Ars Technica article: Logitech has an idea for a “forever mouse” that requires a subscription
Photo by Thomas Bormans on UnsplashPublished 29 July 2024
Michael R and Andy get together to talk through this week’s stories while Michael M is away.
The cohosts start things off with a discussion on scientific discoveries stemming from tiny backpacks placed on giant (relatively) hummingbirds. Continuing the flying theme, next up is an article dealing with a drone that may well fly ‘forever’. Then a couple of stories about robotic dogs used cleaning and clearing obstacles.
Next up in this science-themed episode is a treatment on lasers and mathematics. NASA uses lasers for communicating with the international space station. An older Games at Work episode references the “sharks with lasers” from Austin Powers. And then a discussion on USA Swimming using mathematics to improve the Olympic swimming team’s performance. The team also dives into Bonnie Tsui’s book Why We Swim.
Rounding out this episode are points about Google’s use of reCAPTCHA and releasing VR source code.
What robots have caught your attention recently? Any other intriguing uses for lasers? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksRoboticsBBC Wildlife Magazine article: Mini backpacks on giant hummingbirds? Wacky scientific experiment leads to two astonishing discoveries
BBC Wildlife Magazine article: Secrets Revealed by Bird ‘Backpacks’
The Register article: Chinese researchers create four-gram drone that might fly forever
404 Media article: DHS Has a DoS Robot to Disable Internet of Things ‘Booby Traps’ Inside Homes
Electronic Frontier Foundation post: EFF Awards 2024
New Atlas article: Watch: Vacuum-footed robot dog cleans up the beach
Lasers and MathematicsThe Verge article: NASA fired its space lasers to communicate with the ISS
Games at Work e164: Addictive AR
The Atlantic article: USA Swimming Has a Secret Weapon: Linear Algebra
Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui
Swim Swam article: “Why We Swim”: A Review of Award-Winning Author Bonnie Tsui’s Book
GoogleThe Register article: Forget security – Google’s reCAPTCHA v2 is exploiting users for profit
hackster.io article: Google Drops Its Blocks VR Building Project — But Releases the Source Code to All
Gaming Exploits & CreativityPC Gamer article: Baldur’s Gate 3 dev says it’s Larian’s philosophy to ‘fuel and reward’ player creativity: ‘They found a way to exploit the game, let them have it, it’s awesome’
Photo by Atypeek Dgn: https://www.pexels.com/photo/billiard-ball-on-bright-orange-surface-5986316/ Published 22 July 2024
Michael R and Andy get together to talk through this week’s stories while Michael M is away.
The cohosts start things off with a discussion on The Sphere, the Las Vegas landmark which uses 1.23 million LED ‘pucks’ to put on an impressive video display powered by 150 NVidia GPUs according to the Hackaday article. Interested in seeing Dead & Company in this immersive experience? Check out the show notes and make your plans before August 10th.
After a discussion on OpenELM, the pair turn their attention to OpenSCAD and a conversation on how to tame that under desk tangle of cords with an open source solution called Underware.
Next up, a conversation on floppy disks still in productive use as well as a Windows emulator for iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro devices.
Wrapping up the episode are conversations about other podcasts. Are there other podcasts beyond Games at Work? Apparently so. An interview with the “What If?” app creator is followed by the science of board games, with an intriguing factoid: that drunkeness helps you reach nirvana. At least in one particular chutes and ladders style game.
What strange rules or gameplay quirk have you exploited in a board game to help you win? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksPower and ResourcesHackaday article: Las Vegas’ Sphere: Powered by NVidia GPUs and With an Impressive Power Bill
The Sphere
Games at Work e399: It’s CES Week
AI9 to 5 Mac: Apple says its OpenELM model doesn’t power Apple Intelligence amid YouTube controversy
OpenELM on Hugging Face
3D Printed OrganizationHands on Katie: Underwear
Wikipedia article: OpenSCAD
Old StuffArs Technica article: German Navy still uses 8-inch floppy disks, working on emulating a replacement
ByteCellar article: A Look at the Short-Lived 3-Inch Compact Floppy Disk
The Verge article: After initially rejecting it, Apple has approved the first PC emulator for iOS
UTM SE: Retro PC Emulator
Non Games At Work Podcast episodesUpgrade e521: I Can Get Pineapple Into Anything
The Infinite Monkey Cage: Science of Board Games – Jess Fostekew, Marcus du Sautoy and Dave Neale
Nathan W. Pyle post
Photo by Michael Martine, Fourth of July fireworks in Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC 2012Published 15 July 2024
Michael R and Andy get together to talk through this week’s stories while Michael M is away. The co-hosts discuss Generative Reality, Renault’s gamification of automotive safety, AI algorithmic price segmentation, drones vs fireworks, the future of Futurama and more.
Starting off this episode, Michael R notices Andy’s new Ray Ban Meta Smart Glasses – while they are still very new to Andy, there will be certainly be stories beyond the purchase experience to hear in the coming days and weeks. After a quick recount of some impending game launches for the balance of 2024, the conversation turns to the concept of Generative Reality, whereby reality is generated on the fly and non player characters (NPCs) interact with a user in a metaverse meets spatial computing meets chatbots kind of way. Gareth and Bill in their final podcast posit Generative Reality as a way to solve the ‘lobster in a backpack’ problem with generated speech and images to create holodeck-esque experiences to be shared. Could it be that such computer generated experiences could be as compelling as lucid dreaming?
After touching on an article from Fast Company about drones used for skywriting, advertising and celebrations, Andy and Michael switch gears to discuss the Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) warnings in Andy’s new car. Also up is an article on Renault’s automotive gamification which takes inputs like ISA to calculate a driver’s score. This reminds the pair of the OBDII black box driven insurance segmentation, which follows naturally to the next article of AI price segmentation and differentiation.
Wrapping up the episode is some excitement about the future of Futurama – with a new season’s worth of shows starting later in July. Bender selling an NFT of himself. Who’d a thought he would do that?
Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected LinksRay Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Let Go to Grow by Linda S. Sanford with Dave Taylor
The Gareth and BillCast, episode The End of the Cast Show
BBC’s Digital Planet Podcast
Games at Work e255: It’s a Wrap
Fast Company article: How the sky became a giant billboard
Business Insider article: AI is quietly being used to pick your pocket
The Sunday Times article: The ultimate backseat driver: the new car that gives motorists marks out of 100
European Transport Safety Council: Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA)
Games at Work e160: 3D OBD
The Atlantic article: Do Navigation Apps Think We’re Stupid?
Gizmodo article: Futurama’s Season 12 Trailer Wants to Take You to the Sci-Fi Disco
IMDb Futurama
Photo by Iggy Love on UnsplashPublished 8 July 2024
Michael M and Michael R get together to talk through this week’s stories while Andy is away. In this episode, Michael and Michael dive deep into a variety of AI themes, including regulation, getting OpenAI to reveal instruction sets, mocap before turning to ghost jobs, new exoskeletons and Meta’s Ray Bans.
Michael and Michael share Andy’s recent guest podcast recordings from Open Source DevRel’s State of Developer Education to get things started before turning to all things AI.
The pair begin with MacStories’ open letter and quickly move to reverse engineering OpenAI’s instruction set. This reminds the pair of e429 when the Games at Work team discussed Lakera.ai’s Gandalf secret password challenge. Then they turn to another AI use case – improvements in motion capture.
Next up is a CBS News article about ghost jobs, with some unbelievable statistics about these ghost jobs. Then, a story about NC State’s latest exoskeleton innovation, followed up with Wajava’s solar innovation and then a discussion on why the Meta – Ray Ban collaboration works.
What are you thoughts about ghost jobs? Meta-enabled Ray Bans? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksPoddin’Open Source DevRel – The State of Developer Education
AIMacStories Open Letter: AI Companies Need to Be Regulated: An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress and European Parliament
Boy Genius Report: Someone got ChatGPT to reveal its secret instructions from OpenAI
Lakera.ai’s Gandalf secret password challenge
Games at Work e429: Promptly Engineering
9 to 5 Mac: Phil Schiller to join OpenAI board in ‘observer’ role following Apple’s ChatGPT deal
Creative Blow article: This AI tech has me rethinking the future of motion tracking
Van Gogh Experience – Raleigh
Electromagnetic Field
Ghost JobsCBS News article: That job you applied for might not exist. Here’s what’s behind a boom in “ghost jobs.”
Washington Post: How to Spot a Ghost Job
NPR article: What are “ghost jobs”?
RoboticsWUNC article: NC State researchers create AI-trained robotic exoskeleton that enhances human movement
Games at Work e241: Smarty Pants
SolarThe Cool Down article: Tech company unveils tiny spheres that outperform solar panels using both sun and artificial light — and the company says they could hit 60 times the current capacity
Wajava
Future’s so bright, gotta wear shadesInverse article: Why Meta’s Ray-Bans Have Succeeded Where Other Smart Glasses Have Failed
Ray Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Snap’s Spectacles
Photo by Michael RowePublished 1 July 2024
Andy and Michael M get together to talk through the backlog of articles and stories from the past weeks. While Michael R is away this time, in this episode Andy and Michael M pull on an AI thread exposed through a set of old and new games, discuss FinalSpark’s Neuroplatform for biocomputing and marvel at the immense immersiveness of the Calculating Empires infographic.
Michael M and Andy reflect on Michael R’s update on Apple’s WWDC24 from last week, and the wealth of information he curated in the show notes in e469. The pair then give a quick recap on Andy’s recent podcast recordings, Michael M’s recent barbecue camp exploits at NC State and musings on social mores of different video conferencing tech. Next, it’s off to the races on a series of games that captured their attention in the past few days.
Milton is a game that makes use of AI to interpret what the player puts in the room with Milton. Milton reacts to color, size, and recognizes objects the player adds to the room, responding in a snarky fashion similar to other games the co-hosts discuss.
Porting new games to old tech and old games to current technology surfaces a couple of times in this episode. Examples of this include Baldur’s Gate III ported to a TRS-80 and BBC 4 hosting a version of Infocom’s HHG2G text based adventure. Be sure to check the pocket of your dressing gown!
Andy shares a funny clicking game gaining traction (ha!) on Steam is Banana, where the object of the engaging gameplay is to – wait for it – click on a banana. There’s a Steam community site where you can buy certain special bananas without having to go through the tedium of clicking for a random drop. This reminded Michael of Andy Bogost’s Cow Clicker and Andy of the Egg game.
Inspiring the title for this week’s episode, Science Alert had an article on FinalSpark’s Neuroplatform that uses biological neurons in vitro for computation. Also described as wetware computing, this platform is designed to leverage the energy efficiency of living cells for computation. Certainly an intriguing concept that the co-hosts both want to dig into to further their understanding.
Wrapping up this episode is an amazing infographic from Kate Crawford and Vladen Joler, spanning technologies and structures over centuries. Andy imagines how this might be experienced through an Apple Vision Pro.
What do you think about the use cases and ethical implications of wetware computing? Which Michael took Andy out for barbecue in North Carolina? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksGames at Work e469 – WWDC Recap – Everything you want to know
North Carolina State University Barbecue Camp
Microsoft Teams
Pixel Perfect GamesHackaday article: Torment Poor Milton With Your Best Pixel Art
Milton is trapped
Hackaday article: Baldur’s Gate III Comes to the TRS-80 Model 100
Infocom CornerBBC Radio 4 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Desert Bus for Hope
Clicking GamesPC Gamer article: ‘Banana’, a game where you rapidly click on a jpeg of a banana and nothing else, has an all-time peak of 31,124 players on Steam—here’s why
Banana on Steam
Steam Community Market for Banana
Cow Clicker
Wikipedia article: Ian Bogost
Egg on Steam
Wetware ComputingScience Alert article: Swiss Startup Connects 16 Human Mini-Brains to Create Low Energy ‘Biocomputer’
FinalSpark Neuroplatform
Moment of Whoa!Calculating Empires: Genealogy of Tech
Michael’s WWDC Content ScheduleMichael and Andy are off this week, so Michael R. takes time to give a detailed look at what he learned at this year’s WWDC (WorldWide Developer’s Conference) from Apple. He focuses on how he approaches reviewing all the content, what was interesting for him, and how you can get the most out of WWDC when attending remotely.
We have the largest list of links we’ve had in a long time, since all the content is now available on YouTube.
Show Links
SecurityNow! – Episode 979 – The Angle of the Dangle – https://media.grc.com/sn/sn-979.mp3
WWDC Sessions Michael R talked about:
Day 1:
Keynote – https://www.youtube.com/live/RXeOiIDNNek?si=FLk2smqwDDEO-w4i
Platforms State of the Union – https://youtu.be/YJZ5YcMsgD4?si=Ri1VPVBX6DNMGTDD
What’s new in SwiftData – https://youtu.be/-IMOuvRQilc?si=vPb3fRQ3qGy0F3M1
What’s new in SwiftUI – https://youtu.be/CNMRV0F0w74?si=iMvBUK5xTScU2tz-
What’s new in watchOS – https://youtu.be/_4t3NCx8LFA?si=qJtXm9UTG16qtnnd
What’s new in Xcode 16 – https://youtu.be/BAQ9EhAm2eM?si=YqZgpoZUx3Ruytvu
Day 2:
A Swift Tour – Explore Swift’s features and design – https://youtu.be/boiLzazJ9j4?si=CkYfncOLGXLNpcIk
Build custom swimming workouts with WorkoutKit – https://youtu.be/ZuzNNV5SwRg?si=wmLXgMwwl_Pt99S4
Bring expression to your app with Genmoji – https://youtu.be/D58kVm2h4-w?si=3HBvMVSkziNdQL6T
Create custom environments for your immersive apps in VisionOS – https://youtu.be/ROrCsQ5i6UM?si=zYeF8mwfyYDU_8ru
Design live activities for Apple Watch – https://youtu.be/MH5etXiIz0Y?si=lhSnQU7CW426Ro–
Work with Windows in SwiftUI – https://youtu.be/6t7LhRkBobk?si=w2wTNy-qcuaIJt1k
Design great visionOS apps – https://youtu.be/9QcD2pGLwzg?si=rD9Y8mJEBVXIveaG
Explore machine learning on Apple Platforms – https://youtu.be/p_hyo2FRil4?si=_QYLAfxuFyhp3Jip
Elevate your tab and sidebar experience – https://youtu.be/si-7DinDz5c?si=68ywOkcWuAy8yO4h
Explore multi-view Video playback on VisionOS – https://youtu.be/7ZkLd3a90_w?si=kTkE9MmPXJFGzQOn
What’s new in AppKit – https://youtu.be/McKYDogUICg?si=1ve1dH-ep-NjToL1
What’s new in Swift – https://youtu.be/17fZZ1v_N2U?si=xGcMnKo8iEJSLj3W
Bring your app to Siri – https://youtu.be/Lb89T7ybCBE?si=p1-P_EbcTtRJoQVc
Bring your app’s core features to users with app Intents – https://youtu.be/REGJcedvheE?si=Z7Z9WiARYGB8MY3a
Swift UI Essentials – https://youtu.be/HyQgpxX__-A?si=xhNukvZHK7xjQXyM
Platform State of the Union 5-minute recap – https://youtu.be/l5gwzTg4viQ?si=4ruI-2N6ZmCljPnT
Day 3:
Catch up on accessibility in SwiftUI – https://youtu.be/PHAA6nXTbdk?si=p_sbOBsnov7GAQAU
Create a custom data store with SwiftData – https://youtu.be/_t2NflA8AcI?si=Smy_ieVREPJxE9ER
Go further with Swift Testing – https://youtu.be/bOvWGHi-BxI?si=k5propneJufreKLa
Meet TabletopKit for VisionOS – https://youtu.be/miuHfTi27qw?si=m17h4YFLK15nlrwD
What’s new in App Intents – https://youtu.be/wirvkabKh8k?si=JyCrTY3gpaqia29v
Xcode essentials – https://youtu.be/EN7-6Oj7cL0?si=G1mjVAcidIIVjcBr
Bring your live activity to Apple Watch – https://youtu.be/O0aum8TOufU?si=ZwOh0S8HfUVWJgVm
Broadcast updates to your live activities – https://youtu.be/HUyoNymUOZo?si=x9UxE842HSGQs5a1
Build multi-lingual ready apps – https://youtu.be/b9SdW3kUJXY?si=80G8a-819uc_pz1Z
Create custom hover effects in VisionOS – https://youtu.be/DftRTx1oX6E?si=6uPLIDhC1IWSQ37I
Design app intents for system experiences – https://youtu.be/yyr4trqPgjo?si=Zxm6-9kqbvVu28_I
Discover swift enhancements in the Vision Framework – https://youtu.be/OkkVZJfp2MQ?si=tMB9i3xwoDGh0ntO
Explore the swift on Server ecosystem – https://youtu.be/OWNjtWUb9bs?si=c9tN9wEZCGqken7T
Tailor macOS windows with SwiftUI – https://youtu.be/zosCe4q1xPI?si=1OYqvyCSNfohTG0y
Day 4:
Demystify SwiftUI containers – https://youtu.be/LWbgpheCqgo?si=OoEQ2i9pAWwt47Hb
Meet the translation API – https://youtu.be/MuIFhbHNmqA?si=-FwAb0vn-rp5ci01
What’s new in Privacy – https://youtu.be/3S71FgEzqb0?si=itbyJSeuJUP_25xN
Add personality to you app through UX writing – https://youtu.be/jWKBMTDdA8s?si=hDq6nUFUuhis0Elb
Analyze heap memory – https://youtu.be/X_JYRz-Hd0o?si=yn4PRut343Bmu5T0
Consume non copyable types in swift – https://youtu.be/I9XGyizHxmU?si=8McO–3zGmLuI6eb
Extend your Xcode cloud workflows – https://youtu.be/f__0R-W9H6k?si=9xYZ3lu-vGtzyRPb
Meet the contact access button – https://youtu.be/X2QOqvQDjXU?si=XJHCOUnWWEHfAAIE
Track model changes with SwiftData history – https://youtu.be/K2FzpebEL_4?si=3D1XXQMtDGRbrsCt
Use CloudKit console to monitor and optimize database activity – https://youtu.be/EImMro_8TLQ?si=k8-Yf7KSnaQptr_B
What’s new in DockKit – https://youtu.be/14P0GVtM0Iw?si=Wxpr1xA5dZixAmRU
What’s new in Quick Look for VisionOS – https://youtu.be/ELhlvGRJucc?si=tAR83wpMa0YKVwKw
What’s new in USD and MaterialX – https://youtu.be/bpebjIs91MM?si=Cg219W5Gf5lGCJCr
What’s new in Wallet and Apple Pay – https://youtu.be/ZfvqT-rYomA?si=BnKQ4vFK2HdBlLMe
Wha’s new in App Store Connect – https://youtu.be/fkeUvZ4NRhg?si=BmH_mtAJnP4OCVfz
Day 5:
Explore swift performance – https://youtu.be/nb3bRQa0iGQ?si=mlTwSggOEgHlkp8s
Migrate you app to Swift 6 – https://youtu.be/75-c6jSE8kU?si=qd9_mrwDBuMadCfS
Run, Break, and Inspect: Explore effective debugging in LLDB – https://youtu.be/PsW3RQN9R_Q?si=NkdEZ_WttDqW3fc0
What’s new in SF Symbols 6 – https://youtu.be/_uHTwefCAPI?si=UuHym5dM30FW4pJ_
Say hello other the next generation of CarPlay – https://youtu.be/PLf44BXd0SE?si=sa78LwbFtHJP7jxw
Meet the next generation of CarPlay – https://youtu.be/Fsjw9Z4c-EQ?si=x9xGBJR1CFmz4miu
Get Started with Writing Tools – https://youtu.be/79PkqsA_zk8?si=tI0Bbsgre9o1SzJn
Meet Swift Testing – https://youtu.be/WFnkNcvLnCI?si=gmbEiC81f5luO7r8
Squeeze the most out of Apple Pencil – https://youtu.be/LNl3a8X3Skc?si=fYMOT0MInffbxB-V
Flappy Bird Arcade Game photo by Andy Piper June 2024Published 10 June 2024
Andy and Michael R get together to talk through this week’s articles. In this episode, the team discusses virtual reality work, entertainment and games along with space science.
Andy starts things off with his recent experiences at the Electromagnetic Field festival. With great examples of Flappy Bird, Asteroids and more, he shares what he saw at the festival.
Following the festival, there are a tremendous set of AR / VR stories ranging from how Ikea is staffing their virtual Roblox stores, to simulating jobs and unique storytelling from Marvel with the Vision Pro.
Space is the place for Games at Work – and two articles in particular capture the attention of the co-hosts this week, including one from NASA about Vulcan, and another from Popular Mechanics on how interstellar travel may work.
Wrapping up this episode are a couple of links, dealing with a new open-world racing game and a database of GIF banners.
What’s your favorite 88×31 GIF? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksElectromagnetic Field Shadowplay installation
Wikipedia article: Electromagnetic Field festival
Andy’s Electromagnetic Field Talk: Where is the Art? Pen plotters and the history of computer art
Games at Work e367: Pointless Terrifying Tech
AR / VR Wired article: Ikea Will Pay You Real Money to Work in Its Virtual Roblox Store
Sixcolors article: Review: “What If?” shows off the Vision Pro’s strengths
The Verge article: Marvel’s What If…? Vision Pro app is an awkward mix of video game and movie
9 to 5 Mac article: Popular VR game ‘Job Simulator’ comes to Apple Vision Pro
9 to 5 Mac article: VR role-playing game ‘Demeo’ now available for Apple Vision Pro
SpaceNASA article: Discovery Alert: Spock’s Home Planet Goes ‘Poof’
Popular Mechanics article: A Groundbreaking Scientific Discovery Just Gave Humanity the Keys to Interstellar Travel
Two last thingsThe Verge article: Amazon is publishing new open-world racer from former Forza developers
The 88×31 GIF Banner Database
Photo by Ingo Schulz on UnsplashPublished 27 May 2024
Michael R and Andy get together to talk through this week’s articles. In this episode, the team talks about the Daylight DC-1 computer, Welsh and Korean metaverse examples, AI and much more.
The co-hosts start things off with the Daylight DC-1 computer – a tablet that tempted both Andy and Michael to hit the buy button because it is an easy to use, calming e-ink computer that can be used inside and outside. They resist (for now) though may change their minds later on.
Wales and Korea loom large in the metaverse this week – check out the show notes for examples of them.
One of the stories circulating this week deals with the suggestion of using (non-toxic) glue to make cheese stick better to pizza. If you want the original Google searches without additional AI, you can add an additional query parameter to suppress the AI.
Microsoft’s new Recall Feature reminds the team of Rewind, a capability discussed in episodes 391 and 435. Also featured in this episode is an example of how Copilot is working within the context of a Minecraft experience, with the helpful Copilot suggesting what is needed to craft a sword. One can imagine the 2024 version of Zork’s “maximum verbosity” to control the level of help the AI may provide when playing a complex game, adapting to the user’s success or frustration in executing specific tasks.
What searches have you scratching your head this week? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksCalm TechDaylight Computer
Boy Genius Report article: Daylight’s new $729 computer ditches blue light for a paper-like display
MetaverseCymru Wales Metaverse
GamingPH article: InZoi, a Life-Simulation Game like The Sims, but with a Korean Twist
InZoi
OpenAI & Google404 Media article: Google Is Paying Reddit $60 Million for F$$$smith to Tell Its Users to Eat Glue
BBC article: Glue pizza and eat rocks: Google AI search errors go viral
UDM14 AI Free Google search
Objective Development’s Little Snitch Version 6
Microsoft AIMashable article: Microsoft’s new AI ‘Recall’ feature is like hitting ‘CTRL + H’ on your entire digital life
Rewind.ai
Games at Work e435: Space Junk
Games at Work e391: FAIL Whale
IMDB: Total Recall
Copilot + Minecraft demo
One last thingphys.org article: Powering wearable devices with high-performing carbon nanotube yarns
Photo by H Fall on UnsplashPublished 20 May 2024
Michael and Michael teleport into the virtual studio to talk tech. In this episode, the team talks about the latest AI stories, Andy’s Apple Vision Pro experience, and recent announcements from Google I/O.
Michael and Michael start off with the concept of synthetic humans, as a way to more rapidly address the need for quality user research in a speedy and cost effective manner. While the ability of generative AI to create personas with full backstories provides an accelerated way to evaluate a new product or service, Michael R’s attention is drawn to the idea that these synthetic humans can have ‘secrets’ that will influence their reactions. Next up is yet another story from the world of dating, though this time, it’s all about establishing a digital twin that will go on virtual dates with other people’s digital twins. During show notes writing time, this reminded Michael M of Felicia Day’s song, “Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?”. Then, an example of machine learning decoding the sperm whale phonetic alphabet.
Andy takes a moment to share his experiences with the Apple Vision Pro. After Andy’s drop in segment, Michael and Michael discuss a set of new accessibility features, including those to help iPhone and iPad users combat motion sickness. After touching on a couple of augmented reality stories, the co-hosts turn to all things Google.
There were many announcements at Google I/O. Michael R focused on phone scam detection and vacation itinerary generation. Michael M took a look at Music FX to generate songs.
The team wraps up this week’s episode with a LEGO Barad-Dûr and drones that recharge by landing on power lines.
What future do you see for synthetic humans for user research or dating? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksAIFast Company article: These ‘synthetic humans’ offer a bold new approach to user research
Morning Brew article: Let AI date for you, says Bumble founder
TechCrunch article: Machine learning aids in discovery of sperm whale ‘alphabet’
AppleThe Verge article: Apple’s new accessibility features let you control an iPhone or iPad with your eyes
IEEE Spectrum article: Augmented Reality Slims Down With AI and Holograms
Wired article: Yelp Sneaks Augmented Reality Into iPhone App
Google I/OWired article: Everything Google Announced at I/O 2024
Google I/O 2024
Google MusicFX
The Verge article: Android is getting an AI-powered scam call detection feature
Games at Work e186: Accio Mjolnir
The Verge article: Google’s Gemini can build an entire vacation itinerary ‘in a matter of seconds’
LEGO & TechSlashfilm article: Cool Stuff: Amazing Lord Of The Rings LEGO Set Builds Sauron’s Dark Tower And Fiery Eye
Boy Genius Report article: Revolutionary new drone feeds on electricity from power lines and flies forever
Photo by Alex Knight on UnsplashPublished 6 May 2024
Andy, Michael and Michael squeeze into the virtual studio to talk tech. In this episode, the team share some tech happy birthday wishes, takes a side trip down the Rabbit R1 hole, discuss screens and buttons in automobiles, check into real world implementations of video games and gaming versions of real world shopping and more.
The co-hosts start off this episode with the first happy birthday wish – sending congratulations to the BASIC programming language, which turns 60 this year. They then turn to the continuing discussion on the Rabbit R1, in particular how it is an android app, wrapped up in a hardware shell. This leads to the consideration of design, and how the blending of hardware and software can compliment one another even more effectively than just hardware or just software alone.
After touching on the as-yet unannounced new version of iOS, the team takes on a story on Mercedes-Benz and CarPlay. Michael M is reminded of a recent article from the Atlantic (see below) and a lively discussion ensues about which co-host may be the greatest automotive “Captain Slow”.
Next up is a story and video about Super Nintendo World at Universal, and how the experiences there allow one to feel as if they are physically placed into a video game. This is followed up by an article about Walmart being the first brand in Roblox to enable physical purchases. Then, some more birthday wishes, this time for SL21B, Second Life’s upcoming 21st birthday bash.
The team wraps up the episode with a story on the Razer Zephyr RGB face mask and the FTC’s fine.
What was your first basic program? Who do you think best exemplifies “Captain Slow” from this episode’s discussion? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Article LinksArs Technica article: The BASIC programming language turns 60
10 print “ * * * * * * * * *”
20 print “ * * * * * * * * ”
30 goto 10
AIDaily Tech News Show Podcast Run, Rabbit, Run… On My Phone! – DTNS 4760
Creator of rabbit AI assistant has hidden NFT past