Nokia Maps London In Three Dimensions | Londonist

Ovi Maps from Nokia recently released a three-dimensional option, allowing you to zoom around town in unprecedented detail. That’s right, the image above isn’t a static photo. You can zoom in, rotate, move off into the distance, sit on the roof of 1 Canada Square, or on top of the O2. It’s pretty damn jaw-dropping, so long as you’ve got a good graphics card.

While Google Earth has long offered 3-D layers, they’re not as photo-realistic as this. In addition, London’s coverage has always been patchy in Google Earth, although a recent update has improved matters.

When Walter Murch speaks, I listen: Why 3D doesn't work and never will. Case closed. - Roger Ebert's Journal

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Read the full post on Roger Ebert's blog. Here's a portion of the letter:

"Hello Roger,

I read your review of "Green Hornet" and though I haven't seen the film, I agree with your comments about 3D.

The 3D image is dark, as you mentioned (about a camera stop darker) and small. Somehow the glasses "gather in" the image -- even on a huge Imax screen -- and make it seem half the scope of the same image when looked at without the glasses.

I edited one 3D film back in the 1980's -- "Captain Eo" -- and also noticed that horizontal movement will strobe much sooner in 3D than it does in 2D. This was true then, and it is still true now. It has something to do with the amount of brain power dedicated to studying the edges of things. The more conscious we are of edges, the earlier strobing kicks in.

The biggest problem with 3D, though, is the "convergence/focus" issue. A couple of the other issues -- darkness and "smallness" -- are at least theoretically solvable. But the deeper problem is that the audience must focus their eyes at the plane of the screen -- say it is 80 feet away. This is constant no matter what.

But their eyes must converge at perhaps 10 feet away, then 60 feet, then 120 feet, and so on, depending on what the illusion is. So 3D films require us to focus at one distance and converge at another. And 600 million years of evolution has never presented this problem before. All living things with eyes have always focussed and converged at the same point...."

NVidia presents 3D community: website with 3D trailers, clips, sports, photos

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From newzglobe.com:

"NVIDIA brings on the first 3D Vision Community, offering users full-resolution 3D photos, movies and videos.

Here’s what many have been waiting for; NVIDIA recently unveiled a pioneer web community specifically for 3D content.

3DVisionLive.com is an exclusive online community, where users can enjoy and experience a gamut of 3D content on their computers. Besides streaming 3D movie trailers, clips, music videos, sports snippets, and video shots, users can also post and view high-resolution photos.

3D photos on the online community can be viewed in full color and resolution using NVIDIA 3D Vision technology, as well as in blue and red mode. Users can also avail the option of sharing their photos by making their albums accessible for private and public viewing. Sporting videos, include surfing; mountain biking; flying; and racing.

“The goal of 3DVisionLive.com is to create an online community where users can experience the best applications and content for 3D PCs,” said Phil Eisler, General Manager of 3D Vision. “Now photo and video professionals and enthusiasts will see the future of their profession or passion in 3D with an easy-to-use website.”

NVIDIA is the worldwide leader in 3D technology for personal computers.

NVIDIA will officially exhibit 3DVisionLive.com at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 in Las Vegas this year. It will also be showcasing and demonstrating a number of new 3D Vision equipped PCs, displays and devices.

NVIDIA 3D Vision technology encompasses a rich gamut of 3D content, including 500 games; Blu-ray 3D movies; 3D photos; and video files. It also includes 3D Vision software and advanced active shutter glasses, which delivers high-resolution, enthralling 3D images that any gamer or photo enthusiast’s delight."

Karachi goes 3D

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From Newzglobe:

"Karachi’s first 3D digital cinema, The Atrium, officially opened its doors this week.

Situated at the Atrium mall in the heart of the city, The Atrium is the first 3D digital cinema in Pakistan.

The project was the brainchild of Mandviwalla Entertainment's Nadeem Mandviwalla. Mandviwalla said that when he watched James Cameron’s 3D blockbuster, Avatar, he decided that he, “must bring this technology to Pakistan.”

“Pakistani cinema industry is currently undergoing the fall, as the trend of demolishing cinemas to replace with malls is rising,” Mandviwalla said before noting that the technology itself is in it’s evolving stages, and it would be unwise to predict that it will be an instant hit.

Other audience members at the opening night screening of Avatar expressed their hope that soon Indian and Pakistani movies will also be shown in 3D.

Pakistani film star Nadeem was also present at the screening and said, “It is crucial for cinema culture to be revived and for the film industry to get a desperately needed boost.”

Mustafa Qureshi, another famous Pakistani film star present at the event commented on the present state of the Pakistani cinema, “Our movies are currently not worthy of being on these screens but I hope we will soon move in the right direction and make some world-class movies.”

Chief Guest at the event, Federal Minister for Culture, Aftab Shah Gillani said the government is doing all it can to support the cinema and film industry.

The Atrium’s upcoming lineup of 3D movies, includes Chronicles of Narnia; and Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Watch Out Little Ones! Nintendo's 3DS Warning: Children, Avert Thine Eyes. TechNewsWorld

Nintendo has issued a warning for parents of children under age 6: If you're planning on giving the kid a Nintendo 3DS when the device is released early next year, keep it in 2D mode.

The 3DS is a portable video game system capable of displaying 3D games without the use of special glasses. However, the warning (originally posted on Nintendo's Japanese site and translated to English here) urges parents to use the 2D feature of the device instead if their kids are less than six years old.

Nintendo isn't the first company to issue a health warning about 3D-related technologies. For example, Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Samsung issued similar warnings related to their own products earlier this year.

All three indicate certain symptoms -- including convulsions, altered visions, eye or muscle twitches, involuntary movements, loss of awareness and disorientation -- might manifest among some users.

Sore Thumbs, Tired Eyes

For some time, Nintendo has maintained a warning page on its website directed at parents. It focuses on several potential product dangers, from battery leakage to repetitive motion injuries.

The page, which is in English, warns that about one in 4,000 people may suffer seizures or blackouts, and it suggests parents monitor their kids when the latter are playing video games.

Anyone who suffers from convulsions, disorientation or other symptoms should stop playing video games and seek medical attention, Nintendo says.

The maker also recommends that video game players reduce the likelihood of a seizure by staying as far from the screen as possible when playing, using the smallest available TV screen for their games, playing in a well-lit room, taking a break hourly, and not playing if they are tired or short on sleep.

Multidimensional Grief

In warning its users about potential dangers inherent in viewing 3D content, Nintendo joins other companies that have issued similar warnings.

In July, Sony updated the PlayStation's terms and conditions of use with warnings about potential risks. In April, Samsung issued its own warning on 3D TV viewing.

Both of them issued warnings that are fairly similar to that from Nintendo.

Why People Get Affected

Apparently, a significant percentage of people can't properly see 3D images rendered on a TV or movie screen, and that can lead to headaches and other problems, according to the American Optometric Association.

Such people have vision misalignments or don't have equal vision in both eyes. There are anywhere from 1 million to 9 million such people in the United States, the Association claims.

Symptoms experienced by those unable to comfortably see 3D images vary from person to person. A survey by the Association showed 13 percent of those who can't see 3D images suffer from headaches, 12 percent from blurred vision, and 11 percent from dizziness.

Here's why 3D images cause headaches and other problems in people with vision flaws: Humans have binocular vision, in which we see things from a slightly different perspective with each eye. The resulting images are correlated in the brain to create one view. It helps us to calculate distance, among other things.

This mechanism is thrown askew when we view 3D images rendered on a screen. There are two basic methods of creating 3D images: with glasses and without glasses. In either case, each eye gets fed a different image. That throws off our depth perception, fooling the brain, as it were, into believing what we see is right in front of us.

The eyes of people who have problems with 3D can't cope with or correlate these separate images properly, which leads to their suffering various problems when viewing 3D content.

"Whether with or without glasses, the technology provides separate images to both eyes, and some people aren't wired for this, so they get sick or suffer seizures," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.

Still, 3D images aren't wholly a curse -- they can help unmask vision problems such as lazy eye, convergence insufficiency and poor focusing skills, the AOA said.

The American Optometric Association did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Calls to Nintendo USA weren't answered, as the company's offices are closed for the holidays.

Saw It Coming

Perhaps Nintendo acted after getting user complaints, Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, speculated.

"3D hasn't been around long enough for us to really assess its impact, so people are just beginning to find out the problems it might cause," DiDio told TechNewsWorld.

Nintendo unveiled the 3DS at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles this past June. It's set to go on sale in early 2011.

However, consumers are also responsible for the health problems they experience, DiDio suggested.

"You get kids playing games for hours without interruption," DiDio said. "That's a scary thing."

This I Will Consider: Apple wins patent for glasses-free 3D display (Wired UK)

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Excerpt:

"Named "three-dimensional display system", the patent claims to allow 3D content to be displayed without those goofy goggles, while also letting multiple people view simultaneously and keep up the 3D illusion even as they move about the room.

It's by no means a simple solution. The proposed device would keep a constant watch on the viewer's position and movement, to beam the 3D image focused at their eyes. As you move about the room, the special display would change its projection angle so your eyes are constantly receiving the correct images...."