The Sci Fi Guy

Okay, well, I know I said I’d reserve the weekends for sharing the mesh between science fiction and present science, but I’ve recently stumbled across a pair of things that make me say, “Wow!”

First off, the less glamorous: GlowFur. Well, maybe that should be more glamorous, since it is haute coture. GlowFur is a product that just screams “science fiction” because many film makers (especially in the near-future and cyber-punk genres) have envisioned a garish world of the future where every individual has specialized clothing that is bright, colorful, and loud.

GlowFur on display as a trendy vest.

The technology itself is pretty neat - they’ve simply embedded those glowing fiber strands in to a faux fur to produce a “glow” that apparently lasts all night long on small, highly portable batteries. The clothing itself is expensive, but not obtrusively so - and they even have inexpensive wristbands for $20 for a pack of 4. I’m not a “faux fur” kinda guy, but I won’t be surprised to see this at lots of special parties throughout the year. Actually, I might sport some of this during New Years just for fun.

The other awesome new piece of technology that has come to light in the last couple days is Microsoft’s new Surface product. A few years ago I saw a video clip of this technology at a TED conference talk, and showed it to everyone that would sit still for 3 minutes. Microsoft, it appears, wants to make this product a reality, and it looks like for once they’re serious about rolling out some very cool futuristic technology ahead of anyone else.

Microsoft’s Surface product in action

The way it works is still a mystery to me, but essentially its a multi-touch flat panel display. The applications of this type of product are exciting - and Microsoft seems to be going straight at the commercial appeal of this product. I really won’t be surprised if this becomes standard issue for hot night clubs and expensive hotels in the next couple years. They’re also promoting that it will automatically work with bluetooth (or USB 2.0?), so cell phones and Zunes will automatically be able to sync with the tablet.

Of course, there’s only one fair comparison to how this has been envisioned in science fiction, courtesy of the Phillip K. Dick inspired Speilberg saga, Minority Report.

Tom Cruise using his advanced display / control computer in Minority Report

Okay, so they’re not exactly the same. In Tom’s world in the near future, he donned control gloves that remind me of the original PowerGlove for the 1986 Nintendo. But the notion of essentially making the interface and the display the same thing is exciting. I’d love to be able to work with my computer (which I already work with 10 hours a day!) without anything other than the interface. Between speech recognition, multi-touch displays, and wireless protocols that get along with one another, these are the things that science fiction dreams are made of.