Artefact Animator provides an easy to use framework for procedural time-based animations in Silverlight and WPF. Download the latest version from http://artefactanimator.codeplex.com/.

Inspired by the Flash community and forged out of frustration, Artefact Animator brings to WPF and Silverlight what Tweener has done for Flash. If you’ve ever tried to get into animation in C# you’ll soon realize there are way too many steps to get you where you need to be. The consequences are that developers don’t love to animate UI and designers are limited by what they can animate when working with dynamic content.

via http://www.artefactgroup.com/blog/2010/04/artefact-animator-live-and-open-source-for-silverlight-and-wpf/

In two years it’ll cost me at least $2500! but it’s still way better than my last phone.

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Microsoft Suface Website

• Microsoft Surface Wikipedia
• How it works
• Press Kit

“Picture a surface that can recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Today at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer will unveil Microsoft Surfaceâ„¢, the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Beginning at the end of this year, consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues.

The intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way.” - via Microsoft Press Kit

Highlights

Microsoft Surface: Behind-the-Scenes First Look (with Video)
The software giant announced today at the D5 conference that it’s built a new touchscreen computer—a coffee table that will change the world. Go inside its top-secret development with PopularMechanics.com, then forget the keyboard and mouse: The next generation of computer interfaces will be hands-on.

Inside Microsoft’s Top Secret Computer (Video)
The company’s flat surface machine is the first in its category.

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“Designers need somewhere great to work to do their best work - be it a desk with 4 huge screens and a mountain of technical equipment or a laptop sat in your garden it helps the creative process along. Here we scour the internet for examples of workspaces; some good, some bad, some cluttered, some clean - we take a nosey at where we people are doing their work …” - via tutorialblog.org

IGN: GDC 2007: Emotiv Systems Unveils Shocking Neural Interface Device
“Emotive’s technology is based upon a new manner of interpreting the electrical activity in the human brain via EEG that looks below the individually unique (and thus difficult to accurately analyze) outer cortex to deeper regions of the brain. Users wear an electrode studded headset that wirelessly interfaces with a receiver already no larger than a USB ram drive. In our closed door demo, Emotive displayed three aspects of how the technology will bring humans and technology much closer together.” - via tagenigma.com

Includes; facial recognition (without a camera), emotional status detection ( excited or calm), and 3D virtual environmental movement manipulation with your thoughts (push, pull, slide, rotate, lift, drop, and six other motions). Coming in 2008 for less than a PS3.

Check out this video ( 11:30 )
http://media.games.ign.com/articles/693/693580/vid_1950935.html

Wonderful Union, formerly Asterik Studio, is subleasing space in the Lower Queen Anne / Belltown area.

For more information check out http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/off/287131678.html.

UPDATE 4.6.07 :  The space has been leased.

UPDATE : 05/30/07
Microsoft announces “Microsoft Surface” - read more here.

If its new to you then its new right? That seems to sum up multi-touch devices today. Since the recent unavailing of the iPhone it almost feels like Apple invented a new form of interaction - but far from it. The road had been paved with massive amounts of R&D for many years now.

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Finally a project I worked on launches! Introducing the first-ever rechargeable backlit keyboard entitled Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000.

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Can it get more fun than this?
Sure, but it’s still very cool. With the addition of the Nintendo Wii internet browser comes the chance to access websites. What better reason than to stream content from your computer to your living room - or wherever you Wii?

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Flash, DHTML Menus and Accessibility
“It’s not uncommon to hear developers complaining that their DHTML menus, when triggered, have dropped behind the Flash movie below them. It’s also not uncommon to hear, “that’s just how they work.” Before Flash Player 6, that was true in many browsers. But nowadays, it’s become urban legend. With Flash Player 6, Macromedia introduced windowless mode for Netscape and Mac OS X (previously it was supported only for Windows). In the process, this also gave developers a way to completely hide Flash from older screen readers and the issues they can have with it. In fact, when Flash is purely used as eye candy, it’s wise to remove it from the flow of the screen reader’s page so that they don’t have to listen to Flash without a purpose.” - Stephanie Sullivan

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