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  • Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video)

    by 
    Zach Honig
    Zach Honig
    08.10.2012

    If you've ever been to an amusement park, you may have noticed ride designers using some non-traditional platforms as projection screens -- the most common example being a steady stream of artificial fog. Projecting onto transparent substances is a different story, however, which made this latest technique a bit baffling to say the least. Colloidal Display, developed by Yoichi Ochiai, Alexis Oyama and Keisuke Toyoshima, uses bubbles as an incredibly thin projection "screen," regulating the substance's properties, such as reflectance, using ultrasonic sound waves from a nearby speaker. The bubble liquid is made from a mixture of sugar, glycerin, soap, surfactant, water and milk, which the designers say is not easily popped. Still, during their SIGGRAPH demo, a motor dunked the wands in the solution and replaced the bubble every few seconds. A standard projector directed at the bubble creates an image, which appears to be floating in the air. And, because the bubbles are transparent, they can be stacked to simulate a 3D image. You can also use the same display to project completely different images that fade in and out of view depending on your angle relative to the bubble. There is a tremendous amount of distortion, however, because the screen used is a liquid that remains in a fluid state. Because of the requirement to constantly refresh the bubbles, and the unstable nature of the screen itself, the project, which is merely a proof of concept, wouldn't be implemented without significant modification. Ultimately, the designers hope to create a film that offers similar transparent properties but with a more solid, permanent composition. For now, you can sneak a peek of the first iteration in our hands-on video after the break.%Gallery-162176%

  • The Daily Quest: Of goodbyes and Ulduar progression

    by 
    Alex Ziebart
    Alex Ziebart
    04.20.2009

    We here at WoW Insider are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Another blogger is calling it quits. This time it's Hoof 'n Healz giving their goodbyes. Farewell, o Resto Shaman! Soap Bubble has been making some progress in Ulduar and has a few tips for Healers that are preparing to face Kologarn. Mirror Shield is feeling a little bit of raid fatigue after a flurry of raiding, but the boss kills just don't stop. Herding Cats found Flame Leviathan prep to be a little like... well, herding cats, and they've pieced together a basic strategy for Razorscale. Matticus has a strategy of his own for Razorscale. Healers, you'll probably want to check this one out. Tachyon gave Ignis a pass and moved on to Kologarn. They managed to bring the giant down, and you can watch the whole thing in the video above. Click here to submit a link to TDQ

  • The Daily Quest: Ulduar

    by 
    Alex Ziebart
    Alex Ziebart
    04.15.2009

    Despite all of the instance server problems last night, a number of bloggers throughout the community marched into Ulduar to give the place a whirl on live realms for the first time. We Wipe On Trash downed a few bosses. They also, amusingly, wiped on some trash. Luckily, that trash was hotfixed today. Honor's Code had a whole lot of fun figuring out Flame Leviathan. If you haven't tried that boss out yet yourself, it might be worth reading before you do. First hand experiences are even better than regular ol' strategy posts sometimes. Hoof n' Healz came to the realization that Naxxramas made him a worse player, and Ulduar trash surprised him a little bit. I fear that most of my raid will come to that same realization tonight when we give the place a whirl. Of Teeth and Claws is just a little bitter about the current state of the game, and hopes Ulduar will revive the endgame.