Impress Your Friends with FluidTunes

In my ideal Jetsons-esque world, the title of this post would be more along the lines of “Reach Out and Touch the Future with FluidTunes.”

The premise is definitely futuristic enough — control your iTunes with a simple wave of your hand (thanks to your webcam), never once touching a keyboard or a mouse. And once you overcome a bit of a learning curve, FluidTunes delivers on this promise. It’s cool and fun for a while, and it will definitely elicit its fair share of “ooohs” and “ahhhs” from your friends, but in the long run it’s just some techno-candy. It’d be great for a party or a group listening session, but it’s not a very practical interface when you simply want some background music as you work.

Still, I can’t advise you not to download it. For the most part, it’s programs like this that make me wonder what the future holds. Plus, it’s a relatively small file (0.7 MB), free for both Mac and PC users, and the cool factor cannot be understated. Just make sure to use FluidTunes in a well-lit room with no background interference.

Check out the video below and decide for yourself whether cool = worthwhile:

I Believe Those Are My Sunglasses, Mr. Anderson.

Picture the following scenario:

You’re at the park, enjoying a nice stroll on a particularly sunny day. Strutting along to the sounds from your mp3 player of choice, you notice a group of people tossing a Frisbee. One of the guys looks familiar … so you pull up his Facebook profile … floating … above his head … thanks to your sunglasses. He turns out to be an old friend you haven’t seen in years. You stop to say hello, and the two of you decide to meet for lunch later in the week to catch up. You’re not familiar with his neighborhood, so you consult a Google Maps interface … floating … in your field of vision …  thanks to your sunglasses.

Technically, the thanks would actually be due to an emerging technology known as Augmented Reality. In short, it represents the blending of real-world and computer-generated content into real time. And Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove reports that it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, our park scenario only represents the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential applications of AR. Van Grove breaks down the categories of possible AR experiences along with some incredible video clips, including the following exploration into AR and educational endeavors:

Check out “Augmented Reality Devices: See the Online World While Walking the Real One” for a host of details.

Note to Self: Try Ubiquity

Ubiquity garnered spots in all sorts of web-related ‘Top Ten’ lists for 2008, and with good reason. It appears to be an ambitious first step toward a completely new browsing experience, but I’ll have to check it out and judge for myself.

If you’ve used Ubiquity, please leave a comment — I’d be interested to read about your impressions. Although a few months old now, the video below continues to intrigue, and I understand Ubiquity recently received an update.

FHDTs: Real Men (and Women) of Genius

It’s only appropriate that I launch one of the final posts of the year with a brief apology. Blogging has been more than light during the month of December, due primarily to the mad rush of the holiday season and work-related obligations. But now that Rudolph has again led the way and Ralphie has received his billionth Red Ryder BB Gun, I’m more than ready to jump back into the blogging saddle.

While debating how best to approach the recent blogging drought here at technotorious.org, it occurred to me that many of you can probably relate to a phenomenon that typically makes the holiday season particularly busy for the tech-savvy — the role of Familial Help Desk Technician (FHDT).

As technology has crept into nearly every aspect of our daily lives, this important position has become a near year-round responsibility. It began with simple requests such as how to set the clock on the dearly departed VCR or how to go about connecting a gaming console to the televison. In recent years, the role of the FHDT has expanded immensely and includes everything from digital cameras and mp3 players to GPS devices and even coffee makers. More recently, fears fueled by ads warning of the pending digital television conversion have kept the FHDT hotline pretty busy.

Only four days have passed since Christmas and, already, I’ve aided in the installation of a car stereo, been consulted on a laptop purchase, attempted to solve a couple of digital camera quirks and embarked on a seemingly never-ending quest for the best HDMI cable on the face of the earth. Unfortunately for my Mom, approximately 369 days have passed since I last tried to tackle the conundrum of loading music onto a digital photo frame (sorry, Mom, I promise I’ll get that one sorted out sooner or later).

I should note that this isn’t a complaint about the duties that come with my position as FHDT. As a matter of fact, I’m generally more than happy (and a bit flattered) when asked to help. After all, it’s a part of my identity within the family. I bring nothing to the table when it comes to potluck dinners, and I’m not much help when it comes to more traditional home improvement projects. I’m the go-to guy for all things electronic and, with the exception of that blasted digital photo frame, I generally handle the responsibility fairly well.

I’m certain I’m not alone in my role as a proud FHDT. In fact, I’d wager many of you have also fielded a frustrated “why won’t my computer <insert task here>?” phone call or two. I’d share some more personal stories but fear I would embarrass more than a few loved ones.

After all, they’re all on the ‘net now … thanks to a little TLC from the FHDT.