Okapi, Endless Mural with HTML5 and IE9

Thomas Lewis from MIX Online (visitmix.com) introduces Okapi, a simple Javascript framework for building digital, generative art which allows you to take advantage of concepts such as “bounce effects”, “continuous draw”, sprite management, symbols, instances, and auto-updated visual properties that were primarily only available to plug-ins. Check out more information about Okapi and enter a contest to win $500 or well-known digital artist, Joshua Davis' skateboard at http://okapi.visitmix.com. (Also, follow Thomas on Twitter at @tommylee or MIX Online at @mixonline.)

TPL Dataflow Tour

This 15-minute video provides a high-level tour through some of the functionality available in the new TPL Dataflow library (System.Threading.Tasks.Dataflow.dll), an early preview of which was released as part of the Visual Studio Async CTP, available for download at http://msdn.com/vstudio/async.

Acer Iconia

Physical keyboards are old news, right? They will be come January 28, which is when Acer intends to make its dual-screen Iconia laptop available for public consumption. That's the date we've received from the company's official Spanish mouthpiece, accompanied by a lofty €1,499 ($1,987). Literal currency translations are as usual inadvisable, but that's a hefty fee, however you want to think about it. Then again, the Iconia does come with two 14-inch multitouch LCDs, which last we checked weren't the cheapest parts in the land, and also furnishes you with some decent grunt under the hood courtesy of a Core i5 CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 750GB of storage, an optional 3G module, and -- lest we forget -- a USB 3.0 port. We're sure it'll end up as somebody's perfect bowl of porridge. more

Kinect Gets Own Set of Wheels

Yeah, we're a sucker for a good Kinect hack, and we're a sucker for anything involving RC cars, too. Happy day for us, then, as the two come together in blissful harmony with this project from Michael Schweitzer and Michael Himmelsbach at the University of Bundeswehr Munich. It's a 1:10 scale auto with Microsoft's fancy cam mounted up front and what looks to be a surplus Dell XPS M1330 riding in style on the back. The laptop is running a simplified version of the software that propelled the school's MuCAR-3, a full-sized VW Touareg, in the Darpa Urban Challenge. This little 'un is a little shaky right now, but that's largely because they haven't managed to get an accurate odometer working yet. Still, it does avoid obstacles, as you can see, and now all it needs is some Lexan bodywork before it can look pimpin' when cruising the strip -- autonomously, of course. more

ZScape 3D Holographic Prints

As the video above shows, Zebra Imaging's so called ZScape prints pull off some pretty amazing 3D visual effects despite being based on old school hologram technology. These prints are made using a variety of 3D data sources -- think AutoCad and the like -- that are then rendered as thousands of holographic elements by recording laser light onto a single film-based material. The resulting images are easily viewed without glasses or spinning mirrors, and just require a run-of-the-mill halogen or LED light source to reveal 360-degree, full color representations -- akin to what a physical model might look like. Fancier versions can also be made using overlays and layering techniques to show more information. To date, over 8,000 ZScapes have already been developed for the US military, but surprisingly their prices range between $1,500 for a 12- x 18-inch version to $3,500 for the largest 2- x 3-foot size, making them relatively obtainable for those not on Defense Department tabs. If the video of Seattle pulling anInception above didn't impress you enough, be sure to check another embedded video after the break. more