Movies: While I was at Comdex, I finally got a chance to see the 3-D IMAX presentation, "T-Rex, Back to the Cretaceous". It was truly amazing. I have never felt so "present" in a movie before. The dinosaurs were astounding but even the sequences at the archaeological dig made you feel like you were really standing just a few inches away. I sat in the top row of the auditorium which, of course is quite far from the screen. But, the image, when viewed through the 3-D helmet, seemed to be just inches past your fingertips. A man sitting a couple of seats over from me complained of nausea but I didn't notice any. I have suffered nausea in the past if I am sitting too far down in the auditorium. I have learned to sit so the center of the image is level with my eyes and then I only have to close my eyes periodically during fast flight sequences. Now I will be watching for other 3-D performances. The IMAX website lists three 3-D titles in production that I would be particularly interested in: "In Dreamtime", "African Safari", and "Flight of Fancy". If the older 3-D films "Into The Deep" and "The Last Buffalo" come around again I will also try to get up to Portland to see them as well. I think I enjoyed this 3-D presentation even more than ones I have seen in DisneyWorld.

I also experienced 3-D in a motion simulator ride at Caesar's Palace called "Race for Atlantis". I guess I'm just not into motion simulator rides. You get slammed around in usually unpadded seats and subjected to ultrafast video sequences which I can't watch without almost losing my lunch. I had been told that "Race for Atlantis" was far superior to "Star Trek: The Experience" so I paid my money and got in line. Although it did incorporate 3-D, the video sequences were still so fast I had to close my eyes through 90% of it to keep from getting sick and again I was slammed around in an unpadded seat - not too cool especially if you are suffering from tendonitis in your left shoulder. It also lasted for all of about five minutes - not much entertainment for $9.50. I have now endured "Back to the Future" at Universal Studios Florida (& Hollywood - I was with a friend who wanted to go so I went again. I must be a glutton for punishment!), "Star Wars" at MGM Studios Themepark in Florida, "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Las Vegas, Nevada Hilton, "In Search of the Obelisk" at the Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, and now "Race for Atlantis". I think I have truly had enought of this type of "entertainment".

Technology:

At Comdex this year, I was searching for technology solutions for specific needs we have encountered or anticipate in our environment at the College of Education, University of Oregon. One device I was particularly intrigued with was called a Mimio ( http://www.mimio.com/ns.html ) judged "best peripheral" at Comdex. It is a peripheral that converts a common whiteboard into the equivalent of a "smart" whiteboard (traditionally costing in the $5,000 range) for only $499 ($429 at Comdex). Using patent-pending Stylus Tracking Technology?, a combination of infrared and ultrasound, it records everything you write on the whiteboard to a time-based computer file that can be played back at any point in the discussion - even items erased (with the electronic eraser provided). I thought of all the huge folded sheets of paper the dean keeps lying around from his brainstorming sessions with the executive council using a paper flip chart and thought it was worth the money to try it out! (It hasn't arrived yet but I will let you know how it works out). The unit can also be used with a projector and provide the capability to manipulate applications projected on the whiteboard using one of the electronic pen sensors like a mouse. As an example, a professor could project a statistics application on the whiteboard, then using the electronic pen, stand at the whiteboard and select menu options to display various results and even circle items he wanted to draw particular attention to.

I also noticed a big emphasis on biometric devices this year. Many companies are trying to eliminate password security problems by installing either fingerprint or retinal scanners or face recognition cameras and software or digital signature tablets. Despite the publicity retinal scanners have received in science fiction movies, I learned that the technology in its current state is actually less accurate than fingerprint systems. I learned a couple of new acronyms - FAR and FRR - false acceptance rate and false rejection rate. Vendors place more emphasis on FAR than FRR. The better systems had FARs of only 1 in 400,000 logins and FRRs of 1 in about 100,000 logins. Most systems had server database components that worked with Windows NT and the better systems worked with the Novell bindery as well. Most of the systems not only blocked access to the network but to the Windows desktop as well effectively safeguarding locally stored data. Some systems had only client-based solutions (which I pointed out to the vendor would be very administratively intense if you had to go around to each workstation an employee was authorized to use and add a new user especially in environments where roaming was common). Prices ranged from $100 - $200 per workstation - a bit too spendy for general use here but perhaps worth it for server access or executive workstations. I particularly liked the fingerprint system exhibited by Precise Biometrics ( http://www.precisebiometrics.com ) It accepted a smart card with a stored digital fingerprint in addition to the typical phyical scanner. This would enable an executive to provide his smart card to his assistant if the executive was going to be away and important information was stored on the executive's hard drive.

I encountered a couple of amazing 3D graphics applications. Cycore (http://www.cycore.com ) has developed Cult3D, a "Best of Comdex" finalist that enables web developers to attach javascript actions to specific portions of 3D models (like those produced in 3D Studio Max) effectively creating "working" virtual devices. I thought an application like this could help facilitate the creation of virtual labs for distance learning. Some of its features include:

Very high performance on older PCs with no additional hardware support necessary

Efficient compression of both textures and geometry that results in small files sizes (20-200 kB) and fast download times even over standard PCs or 28.8 modems

Support for advanced sound and voice compression, making it possible to add voice-overs, explanations, and recorded training instructions.

The product is free and downloadable for personal use. A University site license would be $3,600.

Another graphics product that caught my attention was Picture 3D, a new product from http://www.real3D.com . The software can create a true 3D model containing complex polygons from two digital images of the same object. The resulting image is like a 3D mask - not a complete object because you don't have images of the back of the object. But, the next version of the software will let you create complete 3D objects by taking multiple images. This sounds like QTVR object images but Picture 3D creates real models not just texture mapped images. I saw this product after I saw Cycore's Cult3D and thought to myself what a perfect complement for each other. You could use Picture 3D to create the 3D models (rather than spend hours creating them by hand in 3D Studio Max) then add interactivity to them with Cult3D.

Another interesting graphic application I encountered was Camtasia from the producers of Snag-It (http://www.techsmith.com). Camtasia, a screen camcorder, includes all the tools you need to record and produce videos from your desktop for instructional purposes . Camtasia Recorder is a desktop camcorder that captures screen activity and applies real-time effects. Camtasia Producer is a project-oriented video editor. The Producer edits AVIs and publishes to AVI and streaming formats. Camtasia also includes DubIt(tm), TechSmith's audio editor.

I also had a chance to talk to one of the VPs from WorldFree (http://www.worldfree.net) , the producer of an advanced web search tool called KnowAll, another Comdex Best of Show finalist. KnowAll uses Natural Language Reasoning to find relevant web sites. Natural Language Reasoning? matches the context of a question with ideas to find results, not simple text pattern matches like most Natural Language-based products such as "Ask Jeeves". This feature can deduce answers that are not made explicit by the text. I had purchased the product about a month ago but had yet to get an answer out of it. It cranked away for much longer than I was willing to wait for an answer. I learned that by selecting the appropriate search engines based on my topic, I could obtain much faster results rather than let KnowAll search all sources (the default setting). For example, if I wanted to learn more about the ancient Gallic commander, Vercingetorix, I should select ancient history search engines along with only "general" search engines so KnowAll didn't waste time with unrelated search engines. I also learned that I should click on the update button regularly because new search engines were added daily. They also mentioned that KnowAll presently does not search directly for images either. I am anxious to try out the new approach and see if I get any better result.

I also checked out 3Com's Palm VII. I was pleased to learn that Eugene has a three star rating for local wireless service. Although the Palm VII still has the hot sync capability, the wireless connectivity would be far more useful, especially since the Dean's schedule is accessible from the web. That means the Dean could theoretically make an appointment without fear that his assistant has made other appointments since he downloaded his calendar with the hot sync device. It also eliminates the problem of him forgetting to hot sync his Palm Pilot before he dashes across campus for a meeting. The wireless service charge is based on the number of "screens" of information viewed with about 160 screens (if I remember right) priced at $9.95 per month. Now if they would just update the display to color and support multimedia like the Cassiopeia E-105 I examined. The Windows CE-based Casio (http://www.casio.com/ ) unit was not wireless, however.

I also liked Sony's soon-to-be released digital dictation unit. It's not much larger than a Bic lighter, takes Memory sticks, and is compatible with speech-to-text conversion software for automated transcription. The Dean is really excited about it and it is scheduled for release in March.

Another handy executive tool is the QuickLink pen (http://www.wizcomtech.com/products/quicklink.html ), a product that resembles a highlighter pen, combining handheld scanning with built-in OCR and application integration. The pen can store up to 1000 pages of text and transfer information to PC, laptop, PDA or cellular phone via IrDa or serial port. It is equipped with:

Notes and Data - capture, store, edit and transmit free text directly to any word-processing application.

Address Book - Scan business cards. Use the QuickLink Pen as your address book or transmit the information to Outlook or other application.

Tables and Charts - Transfer printed tables, schedules and charts directly to a spreadsheet application.

Internet Links - Collect URLs and transfer them directly to your favorite browser Bookmarks or Favorites.

Scan to Fax - Capture printed data, transmit it to your mobile phone and fax it.

Language Tool - QuickLink Pen users can easily upgrade their product to include any of over 100 electronic dictionary databases, specially formatted to suit the Pen. These databases will be made available to the users for download from the Web Site, for a fee.

It doesn't sport the new Bluetooth wireless technology yet like the CeBit's new C Tech Pen (http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/1999/11/ns-7422.html) but it seemed to have more applications.

On a personal note, I had a lot of fun too. In addition to seeing some really state-of-the-art technology, I went on my first gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel, schmoozed with Sean Connery at Madame Tussaud's wax museum, and was "assimilated" into the Borg collective at Star Trek: The Experience. Now I can tell my users "resistance is futile" when I ask them to do something for me.