Popchips plays matchmaker; marital bliss with augmented reality

Is it magic?  No,  it's the intersection of technology and creative ingenuity. Popchips is making a big splash with a Facebook app they debuted this week.  How is a potato chip package good relevant to the world of technotainment you may ask?  Well because they successfully erased the seam of the hard sell with the that of pure technology, making a product app fun and easy to use.  It doesn't hurt them that they have a huge comedic talent in the form of Ashton Kutcher to be the front man for the app.  We've all seen the apps that can take one of your pictures on Facebook and manipulate it in some form, but no one that I have seen has incorporated it so organically and smoothly.  I can't help but thinking about the applications this might have on video games, theme park attractions and even personalized movies.  Enjoy the app from Popchips, you won't be sorry.

Popchips FB app

The end of getting busy in a Gap dressing room.

More signs of the Apocalypse are starting show.  Gone are the days of sneaking into the dressing room at the local Ross Dress for Less.  Why? You ask.  Because in the future, there will be no dressing rooms according to  Cisco.  Read on brave ones and embrace the future!

SF GATE article

Fassbender as David the Robot.

It's funny really, I've been thinking about robots a lot lately.  I just revisited the Will Smith epic; I, Robot. Why are we so fascinated by the idea of a machine being self aware?  It's a contradiction within itself.  Or is it?  Check out the eerily calm Fassbender as David the Robot from the new film Prometheus.

We're one step away from a black leather jacket and a car named KITT.

If you are like me, you can't wait for the next iteration of technology for your automobile.  There still is a pretty broad gap between the augmented reality map seen in the BMW on Mission: Impossible 4 and the Google Maps app on your smart phone.  Well the folks at Escort Live have started to bridge that gap.  With Escort Live running on your smart phone, your car turns itself into a hub of information from everything from speed traps to traffic mapping.  Check out the video below and find out why Car and Driver rewarded Escort Live with the award of  10 Most Promising Future Technologies.

3D is now obsolete?

I've never been a big concert goer, but my god, do I wish that I was at Coachella this weekend to witness firsthand the future power of holography.  Sweaty dirty types were treated to a full blown holographic performance from Tupac as he first performed a solo, then joined Snoop Dog in a rendition of one my favorites, "Gansta Party."  This is really futuristic, cutting edge entertainment.  Think of all the applications that holograms will bring us.

Transformers: The Ride 3D. Who has two thumbs and can't wait for this to open?

We're only a few weeks away from this awesome attraction opening here at Universal Studios Hollywood and if you are a blogger like me, you are hoping - nay, PRAYING that you get an invite to the blogger preview.  In hopes of yours truly receiving said invite, I offer this free sizzle reel from US Singapore as bribery material.  Enjoy and I'll see you in line in May.

Makes LA Noire look like Super Mario Bros.

Remember playing through LA Noire thinking, "My god, these pixels are showing emotions!!??"  Well prepare to have your mind sufficiently blown and your face ripped off.  The new emotion demo from Quantic Dream, the makers of Heavy Rain, shows just what our next generation of video game characters will look like when entering states of ethos.  Honestly, I you can watch this through to the end and you DON'T have goosebumps then Kara is more human than you are.  Please enjoy.