There are just so many things to think about and talk about when it comes to multi-touch, it's hard for me to know what to write a post about. So there's something I just want to put out there. I've never taken part in such a great community of people. NUI Group.
Thanks to everyone there, I was able to get my initial proof of concept off the ground. I have a working FTIR table to really start testing out apps. So I'd say that 1/4 off the battle is won. But there it still much more ground to cover.
Once a hardware build is successful, it's only the beginning. If any of you are like me, you have to fine tune. Find the best parts to use, the best material for a projection, or a compliant layer. I need to make a more visually appealing base, cost effective, durable, expandable. There are still the other types to try; DI, LLP, Capacitive. Sometimes there is just not enough hours in the day, or energy to burn. But we all move forward regardless, it's what we do!
But hardware will only take you so far. After knowing how it works, the next challenge arises. What do you do with it? Is it just a personal project for fun? Are you looking to expand it into a profitable business? Is there even a market for it?
I see new links and video appear one by one. And the outlook is great. Sometimes I ask myself, is new technology like this something that will only be for the high-tech nerds? But I quickly find myself slapping myself and saying 'are you kidding?!' The capabilities of multi-touch technology can grow and thrive, it just needs to find the right path. Back when I was in school, focusing on 2D/interactive/web design I was getting into lesson plans that were so raw that even the teachers didn't know everything, in fact when I got out of school and into the real world nearly everything I learned about using tables for layout was obsolete. And I believe the main reason for that was web designer and developers constantly collaborated to come up with standards and best practices, from coding HTML to finding the best use of design elements in a web page.
It was that community that helped the web grow stronger, a much more dominant force. Now business realize they NEED a proper web presence. I've seen clients come through the office I work at that I would have never expected to see come through. Luckily they understand there are people who know the web and can help them use it to its full potential.
But before then, it was just the hobbiest and students who where the ones that lead the way. It takes a strong and dedicated community to grow a blossoming technology. I can nearly imagine the world of true multi-touch taking this same type of path. Right now it's in the hands of the molders, working out the kinks, finding the best solutions. Working together to make this technology even stronger and make it usable for the people.
And now that I've gone out on quiet a tangent, I'll leave you with this questions. How long do you think it'll be before there is a degreed major or minor focused on developing multi-touch applications on either the hardware or the software side? (at least one that I have heard of) I was at Kent only 4 years ago when they officially created a web design minor.
And I said I didn't know what to write about.
(^_^)//
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Interesting. Back in 1991, a friend of mine who just had got a job with Sun Microsystems told me “Chris, get into something called the Internet. It`s going to be big, I mean BIG. Start learning how to write the website code.”
I never knew or even heard of Sun. “Sun who?” I asked. I never took much notice. Well, thats just my bad judgement. A few years later, Sun invented Java. The rest is history.
The point is, technology. How do you make the right choice? VHS or BETAMAX? Its the same old story. How to stop becoming a busy fool and keeping on track with technologies that wont become redundant…software or hardware.