GC & the Electric Scooter
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GC & the Electric Scooter
SXSWi Reflection: Serendipity & The Jetsons
by: Giancarlo Andreani, Account Supervisor, MRM//McCann San Francisco
Now that SXSWi is over, it’s time to reflect on my six days in Austin, TX, as one of six ambassadors representing MRM//McCann.
In hindsight, it was a good idea to attend the kickoff session with the director of SXSWi, Hugh Forest, and seven-time conference attendee Gary Vaynerchuk. As much as possible, I followed their simple advice for all conference newbies on how to make the most of SXSWi. I’m a natural introvert, so the most challenging part for me was talking to anyone, and everyone. Gary V. drilled this into us with his not-so-subtle words: Everyone here is a relevant person and each person could be a gateway to the person you are trying to meet. Above all, please stop f******* analyzing people’s Klout scores! With that and the second piece of advice—to embrace serendipity—the conference was off to a great start for me.
Covering every session in the #IntelligentFuture track proved to be difficult, as no one has yet invented the clone-yourself 3D printer, and there were multiple sessions at the same time. Regardless, there was lots of overlap in multiple sessions, and it all seemed to converge. A few personal highlights and observations from the six days:
The Quantified Artist - Biometric Augmented Reality
One of my favorite sessions was led by Robert Tuttle, exec tech director @frog. A classically trained clarinet player, he has created a new way to experience the symphony. In short, take Microsoft’s latest Kinect sensor to track the biomechanics, a vest that tracks your biometrics (heart rate, respiratory system, etc.), a microphone setup (for pitch accuracy), and custom code—all controlled by a tablet—and you have an awesome new musical performance. Believe me, no one will fall asleep while seeing all musicians’ actions being quantified in real time. It’s one of coolest things I saw this year, and the applications for teaching are endless. Bravo!
Hardware
Hexoskin (biometrics, Bluetooth)
iPhone (app + gateway, Bluetooth)
Microsoft Kinect for Windows v2 (biomechanics, acoustics)
AirTurn (control, Bluetooth)
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 (processing, rendering)
Software
.NET Framework / C# (logic, data binding)
WPF / XAML (UI layout, rendering)
OxyPlot, WriteableBitmapEx (high pert dataviz)
Background services threads
- Pitch detection (NAudio, PitchTracker)
- Finger motion (Kinect DepthFrame + BodyFrame)
- Biometrics (Hexoskin REST API)
How do you map the complexity of the wind? The wind map shows you the surface wind in the US, 24/7. It's beautiful. More at: http://hint.fm/wind/
No need to get grumpy at SXSW (because it's awesome), but if you do, you can get relief at the Pure Michigan booth. Swing away and score some points!
Controlling and interacting with your current or future devices is a big topic here at SXSW. Whether it’s controlling your TV, car settings, or laptop, gesture controls will be part of the intelligent future. I had fun interacting with Intel’s RealSense SDK at the SXSW Gaming Expo. Intel RealSense allows you to create customized gestures for controlling your laptop—and the next version—will make it possible to 3D model your hand or face, in realtime. It’s pretty cool.
Ladies and Gentlemen, live from the @SXSW Geek stage | The Returners
The Returners are a five-piece video game cover band based in Austin, Texas.
Giancarlo Andreani shares his dream app