... you've probably already seen the amazing multi-digit touch-screen video. But if you haven't, go take a look, it's awesome.

(Anyone remember that video of the Asian artist making sand drawings on an overhead projector?)

Update: That video was removed from YouTube, but basically it was the TED talk of Jeff Han, whose work can be seen here.

C-LAB, the software arm of Siemens Business Services and the University of Paderborn have created "Kick Real," which is an AUGMENTED REALITY SOCCER GAME for cell phones. To play, you aim your camera phone down, and the video screen superimposes a soccer field on the live video of your foot. You can see the virtual ball, and "kick" it with your real foot to try and score goals.

Read the same again here.

Augmented reality is one of the upcoming technologies that excite me the most, for various reasons. I expect computer game interface conventions to make their way into the real world through augmented reality, and I'm not talking about games here.

See this earlier post. This technology will break through in less than 5 years. Imagine this and A9.

(Via Robot Wisdom.)

Breakquest, apparently. It sounds like fun.

(And ooh, a whole site dedicated to physics games.)

(Via Robot Wisdom, the now-defunct impenetrable site of wonder.)

Update: Thanks to Ogi Djuraskovic for pointing out that Robot Wisdom is gone. He has written about Jorn Barger, the man behind Robot Wisdom, here.

A while back I blogged about Goro Miyazaki directing a movie based on Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle, and lamented the fact that I was not able to read Mr. Miyzaki's blog.

Today I found out that a translation of this blog can be found on Nausicaa.net, source of all knowledge on Miyzazaki and Studio Ghibli.

Mr. Miyazaki explains his view on the Earthsea books now and 20 years ago when he first read it, and how those different views relate to his life, and why he entered the animation industry after having decided not to at a younger age. It also talks about the craft involved in creating and directing an animated movie.

A recommended read.

I've always admired Animal Crossing more as a concept than as an experience. That is, I find the idea hugely fascinating and am glad it exists, but I didn't particularly enjoy playing the GameCube version a couple of years back. I knew as I was playing it that I was much too goal-oriented, and not playing it 'right' but still... I never got into it. (The static facial expressions turned me off to a surprising degree.)

But I always enjoyed the MMO-ish massive exploration side of things. Do X in location Y and Z happens. Perform A on national holiday B and you will see C. It has, to me, a genuine feeling of mystery, of stuff you may be able to discover that others haven't found, much like Elite, or even World of Warcraft (databases such as Thottbot and Allakhazam notwithstanding).

So imagine my utter delight when I found out through DS Blog that Animal Crossing for the DS has a functioning Feng Shui system. Place your stuff right, and your luck increases and better stuff drops off trees. This has to be the coolest feature in a game since... since... um, I'll get back to you on that one. For all I know it's an elaborate hoax, but it's still cool.

I assume it doesn't, but it would be even cooler if it actually modelled the dragons and chi and what have you of the theory behind feng shui, and you could properly interact with it, and no-one had noticed this until now... (kind of like finally getting to see that Emerald Dream those nightelfs keep talking about).

Check out these amazing 3D painted rooms.

(Via BoingBoing.)

The scenic route.

Ahh... Garry's mod. So lovely and esoteric.

(Via Kotaku.)

Update: More links and info from Edge.

?

Looks like a neat coffee table book.

(Thanks Sir Wolfi.)

Here. Online face and text recognition with a Flickr-like interface.

It was only a matter of time. I wonder how well it works. I'm surprised this didn't come from some other company (but who wants to bet Google is not coming out with the same thing this year?)

I am not even wondering much about a business model - who wants to upload all of their images again? Am I missing something? Is there anything these guys can do except get bought by Google or Yahoo!?

I am thinking of the implications of easy searching of images for faces and text.

On the other hand, this is not new. This kind of stuff is being used already with cctv video. And people can be recognised from their gait cycles. I guess what surprises me is seeing this as a mass-market service, or something aspiring to be one.

Derek Yu. Independent comic artist. Developer of a game designed by Jack Thompson. And now, writer of a tutorial on how to create pixel art. Hmm... not quite the way it was done Way Back When... but we had a lot less pixels back then. Nice graphics though.

Jack Thompson's game design is going to be implemented again and again, similar to how Doom is ported to every platform - only this is a step beyond that. His design will be implemented to every type and genre of game available, and someone will make a page cataloguing them all. PlanetJackThompson.com anyone? Reserve the URL now!