The Implications for a New Technology Photosynth - Research Paper Example

The Implications for a New Technology – Photosynth The presentation under examination is Blaise Aguera y Arcas’ demonstration of Photosynth. This is a device that is posed to revolutionize the way individuals look at digital imagery. Photosynth is an outstanding invention and the demonstration was equally fantastical. Photosynth changes the very confines of internet space; the demonstration featured an instance wherein Blaise Aguera y Arcas brought up an entire Charles Dickens novel on one web page.

The platform was able to zoom in on a specific word and reveal the text around this word; the chapters were featured in easily recognizable columns. This wasn’t merely limited to text, but was also extended to images. For instance, the demonstration featured an overhead shot of the United States and the program allowed one to zoom in on any specific area and view all the street corners – all without having to load new computer screens. The other revolutionary segment of Photosynth featured images that were linked together in a sort of imagistic universe.

This was demonstrated as a three dimensional depiction of Notre Dame Cathedral was featured that was composed entirely from Flicker images. The presentation demonstrated how the program took a specific instance of a tourist’s photograph wherein their hands made a circle around one segment of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Photosynth was then able to determine which segment of the Cathedral the tourist had circled and then collate this segment with a multitude of other photographs to construct the three dimensional image of the Cathedral.

In considering the implications for this new technology, there are a multitude of applications in which it can be utilized. The revolutionary qualities of this platform have even gain considerable attention, being featured in numerous articles, and even an episode of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) (Bishop). Its implementation in the context of law enforcement only touches the surface of what such technology holds for the future. In an extremely novel use of the technology the CNN network utilized Photosynth in capturing elements of the Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration ("CNN.com"). In these regards, CNN was able to collate images that demonstrate the inauguration from a multitude of angles in its entire splendor.

In these regards, it’s clear that Photosynth opens the virtual dimensions of reality to an entirely new level. NASA has even grasped the potential of Photosynth. In its recent collaboration with Microsoft, the technology was utilized to give viewers never before seen access to the shuttle pre-launch, as well as the ability to tour Kennedy Space Center (MSDN). While some individuals may simply argue that such images could be just as well captured by a video camera, the multitude of angles and perspectives on these events and instances in many degrees goes beyond what is viewable by a single video camera.

Instead the viewer gains perspectives from unlimited angles, extending the internet from a web of textual significations to an imagistic interlinking of sights from all over our planet and perhaps one day universe. Similarly, the use of minute text on a single web page changes the very fabric of the internet environment. No longer will web pages need to extend multiple pages, but internet publications will now be able to fit on a single page. Clearly this is revolutionary for not only web design, but also will expedite the occurrence of ereaders and the electronic production of literature, magazines, and reading material.

ReferencesBishop, Todd. "Microsoft's Photosynth stars in 'CSI' episode." SeattlePi. N.p., 2008. Web. 16 Oct 2010.