Reiding…

Google has a page up that lets you play around with some new tech that uses lasers to scan anything in 3D. Because there are no cameras, only data, you can manipulate in realtime the viewing angle of Radiohead’s new music video “House of Cards” from their album “In Rainbows”. One of the scenes is of an outdoor environment and it reminded me of an interview with John Carmack years ago, where he suggested that in the future, level designers/environment artists for videogames will scan in 3D environments of real world locations. Looks like this could be along the same lines.

Tip: Mouse wheel zooms in and out

I think, if the tools allowed, anyone should be able to manipulate the data, maybe even grabbing a cluster of points in the screen and moving them around. I do believe that as we move further into the data creation and manipulation age people will not be content to merely observe but instead demand interaction and participation. Everything will be customizable, from the design of our shoes and cars to the gameplay experiences. Everything is leading towards a world where individuals have power, not governments. We’ll have the tools and knowledge to create our own worlds. We’re seeing this now, but in limited form restricted to the privileged few.