5. ‘ALICE’ AIMS TO HELP GIRLS BUILD PROGRAMMING SKILLS
Alice, a Java-based interactive program that allows users to produce 3-D
computer animation images without the need for advanced level programming
skills has been created by a lab director at Carnegie Mellon University
(USA) in an effort to draw middle-school age girls to the computer science
field. Through the use of a computer mouse, young users can create stories,
outline the actions of characters or objects, and perform graphics programs
using simple commands, such as a drop and drag interface. CMU officials
claim Alice has been successful in teaching programming skills to female
students from middle school to college-age.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2105421,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
6. HOLLYWOOD IMAGINATIONS JUMPS OUT INTO REAL LIFE
Resembling the system Tom Cruise used in Steven Spielberg’s film Minority
Report, Gesture Studios has developed a system they call GoodPoint using a
technology called motion capture, which film studios and video game makers
have used for years to make computer-animated characters appear more
realistic. The interface featured in Minority Report is just what Gesture
is selling to companies using cameras to track hand movements and translate
them into computer instructions to create presentations at the 14,000 trade
shows and conferences in the U.S. each year. The technology is now bursting
out of Hollywood and changing the way consumers interact with home
electronics. The technology has also been adopted by advertisers to create
interactive displays. To read more, visit:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_14 /b4028001.htm?chan=search
