Movie Gadget Friday: Code 46
By Ariel Waldman 
posted Oct 16th 2009 5:11PM
posted Oct 16th 2009 5:11PM
Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.
On our last visit, we examined the computer hacking fantasies of 1980's adolescents in Weird Science. Skipping on from software-engineered babes to a bio-engineered society, this week we investigate the gadgets in the human-clone-saturated cities of Code 46. Though most of the futuristic technology in this 2003 film is in the form of mind-altering viruses, the everyday devices used by Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton slightly stretch today's technical specs in true sci-fi form.
Memory Videobook
Preventing scrapbooks from being left behind as primitive forms of experience archiving, this gadget combines the cheap plastic form of photo-books with a relatively thin interactive screen. The device captures first-person memories from a user in the form of lossy video (alas, the specs behind memory capturing have yet to be released, much to our irritation). Playback and fast-forward/rewind are enabled through basic scrolling gestures on either the corner of the video or the opposing soft-acrylic, touch-sensitive finger pad. Similar to Americhip's video-in-print technology, the memory videobook appears to use a TFT LCD, but with a far more outstanding resolution. While this memory scrapbook device is far from chic, we kind of respect that it stays true to its historical laminated, cutesy form despite the high tech modifications. More after the break.
Video Phone
With bandwidth as a non-issue on a global-scale, it's little surprise that a competent video phone finally emerged. At about the dimensions of a credit card by a ten millimeter thickness, this tiny metal-cased communication device packs a punch. The speaker/microphone quality alone is nothing short of amazing with it's pitch-perfect technology combined with sheer volume that can compensate for being in crowded, loud venues. The form factor of the phone is about as simple as its limited functionality for video chatting; an indented screen with a single button controlling the interface. From in-car webcams to virtual reality video goggles, this phone serves as just one of a multitude of devices necessary to always be accessible via video. We're itching to get our hands on one so we can tinker with the impressive technology that makes this tiny mobile tick.
Interior Touchscreen
Able to be embedded in relatively thin panes of glass, this transparent screen seamlessly fits inside windows as well as receives a charge wirelessly, making it a minimalist's dream. The consumable content this technology offers is fairly straight-forward: TV, alarm clock, calendar, etc. Projection quality and audio appear to be adequate, but not phenomenal. However, the user experience aims to make the everyday a little more delightful. The screen can be controlled by a series of voice commands and touch gestures and will greet and speak back to you as needed. The device can also be integrated with a variety of domestic needs, such as providing a video feed of your front door when an unidentified fingerprint rings the doorbell. Overall, pretty slick from a convenience factor, but we probably won't replace any of our existing devices with it just yet.
Ariel Waldman is a digital anthropologist and the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration.
On our last visit, we examined the computer hacking fantasies of 1980's adolescents in Weird Science. Skipping on from software-engineered babes to a bio-engineered society, this week we investigate the gadgets in the human-clone-saturated cities of Code 46. Though most of the futuristic technology in this 2003 film is in the form of mind-altering viruses, the everyday devices used by Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton slightly stretch today's technical specs in true sci-fi form.
Memory Videobook
Preventing scrapbooks from being left behind as primitive forms of experience archiving, this gadget combines the cheap plastic form of photo-books with a relatively thin interactive screen. The device captures first-person memories from a user in the form of lossy video (alas, the specs behind memory capturing have yet to be released, much to our irritation). Playback and fast-forward/rewind are enabled through basic scrolling gestures on either the corner of the video or the opposing soft-acrylic, touch-sensitive finger pad. Similar to Americhip's video-in-print technology, the memory videobook appears to use a TFT LCD, but with a far more outstanding resolution. While this memory scrapbook device is far from chic, we kind of respect that it stays true to its historical laminated, cutesy form despite the high tech modifications. More after the break.
Video Phone
With bandwidth as a non-issue on a global-scale, it's little surprise that a competent video phone finally emerged. At about the dimensions of a credit card by a ten millimeter thickness, this tiny metal-cased communication device packs a punch. The speaker/microphone quality alone is nothing short of amazing with it's pitch-perfect technology combined with sheer volume that can compensate for being in crowded, loud venues. The form factor of the phone is about as simple as its limited functionality for video chatting; an indented screen with a single button controlling the interface. From in-car webcams to virtual reality video goggles, this phone serves as just one of a multitude of devices necessary to always be accessible via video. We're itching to get our hands on one so we can tinker with the impressive technology that makes this tiny mobile tick.
Interior Touchscreen
Able to be embedded in relatively thin panes of glass, this transparent screen seamlessly fits inside windows as well as receives a charge wirelessly, making it a minimalist's dream. The consumable content this technology offers is fairly straight-forward: TV, alarm clock, calendar, etc. Projection quality and audio appear to be adequate, but not phenomenal. However, the user experience aims to make the everyday a little more delightful. The screen can be controlled by a series of voice commands and touch gestures and will greet and speak back to you as needed. The device can also be integrated with a variety of domestic needs, such as providing a video feed of your front door when an unidentified fingerprint rings the doorbell. Overall, pretty slick from a convenience factor, but we probably won't replace any of our existing devices with it just yet.
Ariel Waldman is a digital anthropologist and the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration.
Would be so cool to have those frames like the ones on Harry Potter. I am sure that is the future of Digital Memorabilia. 3D snaps of what was going on. Uberly cool.
You mean like http://www.liti3d.com/ ?
Yes, with movement and all.
wow, a digital anthropologist. that is actually awesome!
We keep hearing that transparent displays are some amazing futuristic technology. They can easily be done today (just remove the back panel in an LCD), but we don't have them because the idea is flawed: you can't easily read a transparent display unless the background behind it is clean and uncluttered by distractions and edges.
have u seen most websites lately? clutter is their only option
No, its not that simple. LCD's have a backlit behind the screen, they need a light source to be visable. OLED's on the other hand can be the next generation of transparent displays.
The problem with OLEDs is that they need a dark room to work well. You take an OLED screen out under the sun and the image on the screen basically disappears. Just look how bad the Zune HD is under the Sun.. it's unusable.
Yo iphone, I'm really happy for you and Imma let you finish but this video phone was the best phone of all time!
This is one of my favorite movies. The future is portrayed in an extremely done well, it doesn't shove technology in the viewer's face but rather appears in the background and lets the actors tell their love/drama story without assuming rarities or technological exceptions that get in their way.
Greatest sci-fi movies you've never heard of:
1) Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky)
2) Solaris (both the Tarkovsky version and the Sodenberg version)
3) THX-1138 (George Lucas)
4) Cube (Vincenzo Natali)
5) Code 46
6) Pi (Darren Aronofsky)
Is there anyone who hasn't heard of THX-1138? It was the first film of the guy who created star wars. Come on.
Now, i haven't watched it(i'm not sure why since I'm a star wars freak) but everyones heard of it.
well go watch it man. I think THX is his best movie ever. Now if he had done Episode 1, 2 and 3 in a similar style as THX then those movies would not have sucked.
I have most certainly heard of, as well as watched, all of these films. How about: Hardware, Brainscan, Buckaroo Bonsai, Exenstenze, and Strange Days?
Ok, first time posting here so i thought this was a good place to start.
The first picture above looks interesting like it was a linking book from Myst, dont you think.
I just wanted to say that the dance club scene in this film about 30 minutes in is my favorite scene in any movies ever. So perfect. Great movie.
just my movie nerd two cents, go watch it now!
And the bald beaver shot was my most unexpected scene in any movie.