3pointD.com

The new business magazine for the virtual world of Second Life (which I blogged last week) published its first issue yesterday. Though the mag’s Web site is a bit confusing to navigate and the publishers have stayed with their decision to use PDF rather than a more Web-friendly format, the writing in the articles is by and large better than that found in most SL publications. The content, however, leaves something to be desired, as it seems to be aimed mostly at new residents who don’t yet have a business presence on the Grid. That said, it’s interesting to see a wider range of content creators featured in a publication like this. The question is whether the current incarnation — both in terms of content and format — will be sustainable. (more…)

This landed while I was on hiatus, but is so cool and 3pointD that I can’t help but blog it here. Microsoft Live Labs’ Photosynth technology (in preview) matches up hundreds of photographs of the same location to create an image space that’s navigable in three dimensions. The technology works by making a “point map” of each image and then mapping all the images together in the same space. Besides the fact that you can make a 3D space out of photos that were casually taken by a hundred different tourists, say, what’s cool about this is that the software retains metadata for each photo, so that you can drill into an image and then pop out the other side at the Web page of the person who took the picture. (more…)

Sony is introducing a new GPS device that will let you easily add geolocative information to digital photo files and browse your snaps via a Google Maps app using Sony’s Picture Motion Browser. According to a press release, the two-ounce GPS-CS1 GPS device ($150 when it goes on sale on SonyStyle.com in September) is about three and a half inches long and simply clips onto your belt loop or keychain and records your location over time, as near as I can figure. You then import the GPS information, and some Sony image-tracking software matches locations to photos based on timestamps.

Once synchronized, your photos can become virtual push pins on an online map by activating the Picture Motion Browser software bundled with the latest Sony cameras and camcorders released after July. You can easily add new photos and coordinates to the mapping web site, courtesy of Google Maps, and showcase years of globe-trotting.

Neat. Would love to hear more about this, if anyone has any links.

Attentive readers may have noticed the lack of posts on 3pointD over the last couple of days. I wish this had been because of service outages at NightmareHost or because I’d been following some metaversal roadmap somewhere, but alas, that was not the case. What kept me away was the death last Saturday morning of my mom, Marilyn Wallace, whom I’ve mentioned here from time to time. (more…)