Uncomfortably augmented reality

Computers & Mobile Craft & Design

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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@garethb2

April 28th, 2009

Our pal Eric Gradman came up with a cool augmented reality set-up for an event which poses the musical question: If you put all sorts of personal information on your Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter accounts, would you want to walk around in the real world with that data literally hanging over your head? He writes:

I installed this device at an event I help run every month. When people registered for the event in advance, I asked them for their Facebook and Twitter IDs, and then collected as much information as I could about them before the event. Then at the event, everyone got a custom badge with a sort of 2D barcode. I used face tracking and superimposed their personal data in a thought bubble over their head.

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