Exit SecondLife… Enter Nurien

Tuesday, 29 July 2008
BMW are leaving Second Life. Munich Express (the Second Life avatar of Achim Muellers, Head of Brand Relations for BMW) made an inworld announcement yesterday.

To anyone who has visited the SecondLife virtual world, this is probably not much of a surprise. The number of users and the usability of the interface have not lived up to much of the hype or hopes for a revolution in ‘virtual’ commerce and social interaction.

On the other hand, look out for the September launch of Nurien, a new South Korean developed virtual networking platform that takes SecondLife to a whole new level. With near zero lag time and incredible physics algorithms, Nurien renders fabrics, surfaces and avatars with ’superreality’.

I have been fortunate enough to demo the platform twice: once at a venture capital conference in Shanghai and once at a press announcement and networking event hosted by UltraFuture. The experience is incredible - with the ’superreality’ of the space and avatars creating a deep sense of affinity between the user and online characters.

In William Gibson’s novel ‘Idoru‘, set in a futuristic Tokyo, there is a rock and roll band called Lo/Rez. The lead singer for the band (named ‘Rez’), is rumored to be engaged to an “idoru” or “idol singer” - an artificial celebrity creation of information software agents. We are indeed approaching the time when it will not be uncommon for people to be literally falling in love with avatars. Nurien looks that good.

With current advances in online musical collaboration, I also imagine a virtual rock-band being created inside of a platform like Nurien. Auditions could be made (perhaps via a ‘Supernova’ like show) whenever a band member is unable or unwilling to continue their duties. The same band, then, could theoretically keep pumping out singles and albums ‘forever’ - possibly even outliving the Rolling Stones. Gibson drew many of his ideas for the novel while traveling with U2 during the Zoo TV tour. Maybe Bono and the boys would be up for a new medium? (Paul, if you’re reading this give me a ring.)

Nurien is launching in South Korea this September, and in China in October and set for its US launch early in 2009. Taehoon Kim, founder of Nurien, will be presenting their virtual platform at UltraFuture Expo in Hong Kong this December. Don’t miss it.

Cuil.com and the search for relevance…

The newest kid on the search engine block has a clean, sexy look and layout. Cuil.com (presumably pronounced ‘cool’ or perhaps ‘kyewl’?) proclaims itself to search more pages on the internet than anyone else. “Three times as many as google, and 10 times as many as Microsoft,” according to the about us page. Perhaps their software has the tools to quickly become this large, but my experience suggests they have not yet achieved this.

When I searched for ‘UltraFuture’ - the results were 3,760 pages for Google, 225 for Cuil. Google may have had a number of duplicates, but the first page of Google at least shows me the ultrafutureworld.com homepage (which, frankly, is very relevant to my search). Cuil did not show the homepage in any of my search results.

Self-interest and obvious bias aside, a search for BMW resulted in 57 Million for Cuil, 271 Million for Google.  Again no contest. However, the Cuil.com search did feature an interesting ‘Explore by Category’ feature that allows you to refine your terms to provide you optimized relevance before performing the actual search. Again, this feature looks great and appears to be useful.

Cuil suggests that its software searches by ‘content and relevance’, as opposed to ’superficial popularity metrics’.  Perhaps they simply haven’t been around long enough to collect all the pages they need to be as large as Google. They also claim to not collect any personal data, believing that the web should be searched rather than peoples habits.

Very nice looking site, with a nice interface and experience. While their scale is not yet quite what they suggest, privacy is one position that Cuil.com may be well-advantaged and well-advised to compete in. Let’s check back in a few months.

NASA Astronaut Mark Lee Floats untethered in space. Earth in the background.

An incredible photograph taken from NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-64 mission in September 1994. NASA Astronaut Mark C. Lee is floating 130 nautical miles (149.6 miles or 240.8 kilometers) above the  Earth. Click read more  to see the full picture. What a view!

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Do schools today kill creativity? (Sir Ken Robinson)

Education guru Sir Ken Robinson makes a profound case for nurturing and employing the gift of the human imagination wisely. In order to avoid some of the direst challenges facing mankind, and to embrace our full potential, we need to see our creative capacities for the richness they are, and see our children for the hope they are. In short, we need to re-think the fundamental principles on which we educate our children. This is a humorous, moving and inspiring presentation on the need to embrace, facilitate and empower human creativity.

Neil Young says “High-Resolution Music is ‘The Future’”

Audiophiles have an ally in their quest for more easily stored and distributed high-quality sound. In a recent video posted on CNN, Neil Young, the legendary rock musician and sound-recording engineering master, argues that PC and other consumer electronics manufacturers should differentiate themselves from the current ‘sad state of sonic integrity’. They need to move away from MP3 format, which is based on lossy audio encoding.

“I think there’s a huge opening for PCs here to establish themselves as the quality instrument over the convenience instrument,” explains Young in the video. “I think hi-res music should come right into the earphones.”

“In the 21st century,” he adds, “with these beautiful computers and incredible capabilities, hi-res music is one of the missing elements. [But] I think that’s the future of music.”

Lossy audio encoding by definition involves a trade-off between quantity of memory (file size) and quality or ‘fidelity’ of sound. Typically, the creator of an MP3 recording is able to set a bit rate, which specifies how much information the file plays back per second. A bit rate that delivers less information per second saves space (allowing us to store thousands of songs on our iPods.) It also means less resolution, detail or integrity of the sound recording. The recording lacks the full characteristics of the original performance or master recording – thus, low-fidelity.

Encoding algorithms are designed to try and ‘cut-out’ those portions of a recording that are ‘not audible’ to the ‘average’ listener. This results in most widely available recordings having the lowest common denominator of sound quality. This is a situation which caters to mediocrity and arguably reduces the sensitivity of the average listener by severely limiting their potential for exposure to high-fidelity audio.

On the other hand, many audiophiles I know would suggest that most MP3 recordings are well-suited to sizable portion of consumers. The indiscriminant many listening to the soulless crap that gets played on the vast majority of commercial radio stations today.

Announcement: UltraFuture and Centro

July 3rd, 2008 Cyberport - Hong Kong
Centro Digital Pictures and UltraFuture will hold a joint-press conference at the Cyberport on July 3rd at 10am. The press conference will announce a new joint project between the two companies to be unveiled at this year’s UltraFuture at the HKTDC Inno Design Tech Expo. UltraFuture Expo, a global forum for innovation and thought-leadership, runs from December 10th-13th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.The 3D Luxury Ad Experience is scheduled to premiere at UltraFuture Expo and then continue as a road show at premium retail locations across Asia. “This is a very exciting project,” said John Chu, Chairman of Centro, a company famous for visual effects in such films as Kill Bill 1 & 2, Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. “We are very pleased to be able to partner with UltraFuture to create this 3D experience and showcase our leading-edge technology to Asia and the world.”The press conference will be followed by a demonstration and viewing of Centro’s 3D video technology. The morning will also include an introduction to this years programme for the UltraFuture Expo, which includes presentations and exhibits from Virgin Galactic, James Law Cybertecture, Pico, NASA and CuteCircuit. Nurien, a South Korean company launching a new 3D social networking space, will also attend and provide a demo of their platform. Nurien is backed by a number of prominent investor groups, including New Enterprise Associates (www.nea.com), the world’s largest venture capital fund.

“This is a very news-worthy event,” said David Harris, President of UltraFuture. “We are very fortunate to have such world-class advisors and partners working with us to create a truly inspiring platform for innovation, forward-thinking and global leadership. Many of the UltraFuture advisors and partners will be with us at the press conference and will be available for comment.”For more information on the event, or to inquire about interviews or attendance, please contact Nick Fabrizio at nick.fabrizio@ultrafutureworld.com

For more information, contact Nick Fabrizio at nick.fabrizio@ultrafutureworld.com or call +86.1581.5588.774 (China) or +852.8197.8087 (Hong Kong).Visit our website ultrafutureworld.com

UltraFuture - Centro ‘3D Luxury Advertisement Experience’

July 10th, 2008: UltraFuture - Centro ‘3D Luxury Advertisement Experience’
- Announcement and Networking Event
NEW 3D DIMENSIONS in ADVERTISING and SOCIAL NETWORKINGHONG KONG - UltraFuture and Centro Digital Pictures hosted more than thirty marketing, luxury brand and multi-media experts last Thursday at the Cyberport in Central Hong Kong. The event was held to announce and demonstrate a new stereoscopic 3D Advertisement Sensation set to premiere at UltraFuture Expo this December 10-13th and then continue as a road show across Asia and Europe. The attendees, including representatives of agencies and companies from Japan, the UK, Germany, China, the US and Hong Kong, were also treated to a ’sneak preview’ demonstration by Nurien, a South Korean virtual social networking platform that will launch in September and be a highlight of the UltraFuture Expo programme this year.The 3D Advertising Sensation, to be co-produced by Centro and UltraFuture, will showcase luxury fashion, consumer electronics, hospitality and lifestyle brands in an immersive 3D theater. “I could watch that a thousand times!” said Simon Dotschuweit of Swedish venture capital firm Deseven. “The images are so crisp and life-like. It’s really a very rich, immersive experience.” David Anderson, managing partner of China-based consulting firm GMC Group, captured the relevance of this medium. “In addition to the novelty of a very high-quality 3D film experience, the realism achieved through Centro’s technology creates a much closer affinity between the viewer and the images being shown. This is a powerful medium with which luxury brands can differentiate themselves and connect more deeply with consumers.”  John Chu, Chairman of Centro Digital Pictures, perhaps best known for visual effects production on Kill Bill 1+2, Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, was very please with the results. “The response from this announcement and this event has been wonderful. Interest in participation in the 3D Ad Sensation is very high and we have already begun working with key partners to develop innovative, world-class content.”The UltraFuture Expo ’sneak-preview’ by Nurien demonstrated the companies state-of-the-art virtual social networking platform, set to launch in September 2008. Nurien provides social networking and online multi-player gaming along with numerous tools for avatar and physical space customization, all in a highly detailed 3D environment. “Our goal is to give users a powerful new vehicle for self-expression that breaks down real world limitations,” said Taehoon Kim, co-founder of Nurien Software. With a focus on self-expression, Nurien highlights lifestyle and fashion. Avatar bodies are modeled on complex musculo-skeletal bone structures. New shading and fabric modeling technologies allow users to choose from over 3,500 materials and textures in creating their own original lines of clothing and accessories. Objects in the 3D environment, as detailed as human hair, move independently based on physics algorithms, giving users a deeper subconscious connection to their creations. Users create avatars, clothing, and accessories and then present them in their own 3D rooms, complete with stylish furniture and flat screen TVs that can display and share their favorite music videos and their own personal blogs.“Both of these wonderful technologies are examples of how virtual and ‘dislocated’ realities are merging and taking a more integral role in everyday experiences.” said David Harris, President of UltraFuture. “The applications and Centro and Nurien are companies on the leading-edge of their specific industries. They are creative, forward-looking and collaborative companies lead by two real visionary thinkers in Taehoon Kim [of Nurien] and John Chu [of Centro]. They are excellent participants and partners who embody the spirit of UltraFuture, and we very much look forward to growing and evolving with them.”UltraFuture is a media and events company with a mission to inspire individuals and organizations towards the betterment of humanity. UltraFuture is a platform for incubating and facilitating dialogue and collaborations between individuals and organizations who demonstrate Vision, Innovation and Global Leadership. UltraFuture Expo 08 will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center this December 10-13th, 2008.For more information, contact Nick Fabrizio at nick.fabrizio@ultrafutureexpo.com or call +86.1581.5588.774 (China) or +852.8197.8087 (Hong Kong).Visit our website ultrafutureworld.com

Goodbye wires, Hello WiTricity

MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer. Potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords.

Franklin Hadley, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies

Imagine a future in which wireless power transfer is feasible: cell phones, household robots, mp3 players, laptop computers and other portable electronics capable of charging themselves without ever being plugged in, freeing us from that final, ubiquitous power wire. Some of these devices might not even need their bulky batteries to operate.

A team from MIT’s Department of Physics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) has experimentally demonstrated an important step toward accomplishing this vision of the future. The team members are Andre Kurs, Aristeidis Karalis, Robert Moffatt, Prof. Peter Fisher, and Prof. John Joannopoulos (Francis Wright Davis Chair and director of ISN), led by Prof. Marin Soljacic.

Realizing their recent theoretical prediction, they were able to light a 60W light bulb from a power source seven feet (more than two meters) away; there was no physical connection between the source and the appliance. The MIT team refers to its concept as “WiTricity” (as in wireless electricity). The work will be reported in the June 7 issue of Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science.

Late-night beeps
The story starts one late night a few years ago, with Soljacic (pronounced Soul-ya-cheech) standing in his pajamas, staring at his cell phone on the kitchen counter. “It was probably the sixth time that month that I was awakened by my cell phone beeping to let me know that I had forgotten to charge it. It occurred to me that it would be so great if the thing took care of its own charging.” To make this possible, one would have to have a way to transmit power wirelessly, so Soljacic started thinking about which physical phenomena could help make this wish a reality.

Radiation methods
Various methods of transmitting power wirelessly have been known for centuries. Perhaps the best known example is electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves. While such radiation is excellent for wireless transmission of information, it is not feasible to use it for power transmission. Since radiation spreads in all directions, a vast majority of power would end up being wasted into free space.

One can envision using directed electromagnetic radiation, such as lasers, but this is not very practical and can even be dangerous. It requires an uninterrupted line of sight between the source and the device, as well as a sophisticated tracking mechanism when the device is mobile.

The key: Magnetically coupled resonance
In contrast, WiTricity is based on using coupled resonant objects. Two resonant objects of the same resonant frequency tend to exchange energy efficiently, while interacting weakly with extraneous off-resonant objects. A child on a swing is a good example of this. A swing is a type of mechanical resonance, so only when the child pumps her legs at the natural frequency of the swing is she able to impart substantial energy.

Another example involves acoustic resonances: Imagine a room with 100 identical wine glasses, each filled with wine up to a different level, so they all have different resonant frequencies. If an opera singer sings a sufficiently loud single note inside the room, a glass of the corresponding frequency might accumulate sufficient energy to even explode, while not influencing the other glasses. In any system of coupled resonators there often exists a so-called “strongly coupled” regime of operation. If one ensures to operate in that regime in a given system, the energy transfer can be very efficient.

While these considerations are universal, applying to all kinds of resonances (e.g., acoustic, mechanical, electromagnetic, etc.), the MIT team focused on one particular type: magnetically coupled resonators. The team explored a system of two electromagnetic resonators coupled mostly through their magnetic fields; they were able to identify the strongly coupled regime in this system, even when the distance between them was several times larger than the sizes of the resonant objects. This way, efficient power transfer was enabled.

Magnetic coupling is particularly suitable for everyday applications because most common materials interact only very weakly with magnetic fields, so interactions with extraneous environmental objects are suppressed even further. “The fact that magnetic fields interact so weakly with biological organisms is also important for safety considerations,” Kurs, a graduate student in physics, points out.

The investigated design consists of two copper coils, each a self-resonant system. One of the coils, attached to the power source, is the sending unit. Instead of irradiating the environment with electromagnetic waves, it fills the space around it with a non-radiative magnetic field oscillating at MHz frequencies. The non-radiative field mediates the power exchange with the other coil (the receiving unit), which is specially designed to resonate with the field. The resonant nature of the process ensures the strong interaction between the sending unit and the receiving unit, while the interaction with the rest of the environment is weak.

Moffatt, an MIT undergraduate in physics, explains: “The crucial advantage of using the non-radiative field lies in the fact that most of the power not picked up by the receiving coil remains bound to the vicinity of the sending unit, instead of being radiated into the environment and lost.” With such a design, power transfer has a limited range, and the range would be shorter for smaller-size receivers. Still, for laptop-sized coils, power levels more than sufficient to run a laptop can be transferred over room-sized distances nearly omni-directionally and efficiently, irrespective of the geometry of the surrounding space, even when environmental objects completely obstruct the line-of-sight between the two coils. Fisher points out: “As long as the laptop is in a room equipped with a source of such wireless power, it would charge automatically, without having to be plugged in. In fact, it would not even need a battery to operate inside of such a room.” In the long run, this could reduce our society’s dependence on batteries, which are currently heavy and expensive.

At first glance, such a power transfer is reminiscent of relatively commonplace magnetic induction, such as is used in power transformers, which contain coils that transmit power to each other over very short distances. An electric current running in a sending coil induces another current in a receiving coil. The two coils are very close, but they do not touch. However, this behavior changes dramatically when the distance between the coils is increased. As Karalis, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, points out, “Here is where the magic of the resonant coupling comes about. The usual non-resonant magnetic induction would be almost 1 million times less efficient in this particular system.”

Old physics, new demand
WiTricity is rooted in such well-known laws of physics that it makes one wonder why no one thought of it before. “In the past, there was no great demand for such a system, so people did not have a strong motivation to look into it,” points out Joannopoulos, adding, “Over the past several years, portable electronic devices, such as laptops, cell phones, iPods and even household robots have become widespread, all of which require batteries that need to be recharged often.”

As for what the future holds, Soljacic adds, “Once, when my son was about three years old, we visited his grandparents’ house. They had a 20-year-old phone and my son picked up the handset, asking, ‘Dad, why is this phone attached with a cord to the wall?’ That is the mindset of a child growing up in a wireless world. My best response was, ‘It is strange and awkward, isn’t it? Hopefully, we will be getting rid of some more wires, and also batteries, soon.’”

This work was funded by the Army Research Office (Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies), National Science Foundation (Center for Materials Science and Engineering), and the Department of Energy.