Tag: Technology

[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Behind the Scenes: Cyber Seniors. An Interview with Director Saffron Cassaday

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The documentary Cyber-Seniors is getting special sneak previews at film festivals around the world, and at the Victoria Film Festival, it screened February 11th. An added show will also happen on the 15th. On May 2, it will be making its theatrical premiere.

Saffron Cassiday

For the young actress turned director, Saffron Cassaday, this film marks her debut. Many stories are intertwined here: from explaining the origins of what the film title is about — an education program that started in Toronto for showing seniors how to use a computer to effectively communicate — to what these people can do with it, there is even a personal note added to this film.

When Saffron’s sister, Macaulee, and grandfather were diagnosed with cancer during production, that did not bring making this film to halt. Their journey is also chronicled. Having started two years ago, the teaching program called Cyber-Seniors was well underway. When medical issues only showed how effective online communication works for two very close family members, the ties that bind are expressed online too. But that should not stop people from meeting for real.

participate

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Keeping Eyes on Track for a Video Game Future

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Tobii's PCEye in action.
Tobii’s PCEye in action.

In an age where motion-tracking is becoming all the rage, only Microsoft knew how to make the idea work right. They made it nearly hands-free. With the Kinect. players can run on the spot in order to move faster than a speeding bullet or leap tall buildings in a single bound within a virtual world. With Tobii introducing a prototype of an eye-tracking sensor at CES this week with the EyeX, people can start sniping bullets out of thin air or melting weapons with laser beam eyes.

This technology to track eye movement may well be the next evolution to bring virtual reality home to the video-gamer. No date has been announced yet, but when this device is ready, it should be cheaper than the company’s main product, the PCEye that starts at $2k (on Amazon).

Danish gaming manufacturer SteelSeries is helping to make an affordable version that can detect what a person’s eyes is really ogling at on a video screen — female avatars may want to start covering up. Or with games like Duke Nuke’em or Grand Theft Auto, they just may become a little more difficult with all those distractions slowing the player down.

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The Vintage Tempest’s Toy & Tech Wish-List for Santa

ed and zelda
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Dear Santa,

I’ve been good. Really, I have. I hope it’s in your willingness to consider putting one of these wish list items under my Christmas tree. I want stuff to satisfy my love for toys or tech. I’ve boiled down my list down to five items.

Unlike my best-friend James, I have satisfied my anime craving a long time ago. There really is not much that I want (on video or otherwise) from Japan … well unless you can send me a full size operational Gundam for me to pilot so I can travel anywhere I want (around the world or in space). Or can you please give me an all expense paid trip to visit the Ghibli Museum at Mitaka Park and Fuji-Q Highland Park (I want the ability to spend a full day at each venue). That would be on top of what I really want.

I was there before, but those memories are over a decade old.

Alternatively, if you can find it in your heart to park an AT-AT at my home, well, my grin will be wider than the Grinch and the Cat Bus (from My Neighbour Totoro) combined. But in terms of being realistic, the following items are far more doable:

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