Ontario Community Newspapers

Oakville Beaver, 21 Dec 2004, A 8

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I A8 - The Oakville Beaver, Tuesday December 21, 2004 W a n t to Q u it S m o k in g ? D e s ig n y o u r o w n p ro g ra m ! h e C a n a d ia n C a n c e r S o ciety k n ow s m ost p e o p le c a n 't j u s t say, " I'm g o i n g t o q u i t s m o k i n g n o w ," t h e n q u it for g o o d . But o u r sm o k in g c e s s a tio n p r o g r a m --O n e S t e p a t a T im e -- c a n h elp c h a n g e th e w a y y o u th in k a b o u t y o u r s m o k in g a n d p ro v id e y o u w ith to o ls to c r e a te th e b e s t w a y for y o u t o q u it. T a k e t h e first, s t e p to b e c o m in g s m o k e free . Call y o u r lo c a l o ffic e o f t h e C a n a d i a n C a n c e r S o c ie ty , o r t h e S o c i e t y 's t o l l - f r e e C a n c e r In fo rm a tio n S e rv ic e , The shape of walls to come By Craig MacBride OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Contrary to popular opinion, it's not difficult to see the future: just look to the Smart Board. At the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, that's exactly what they're doing. The Smart Board, which looks like a typical white board, can be hooked up to a computer and works as an interactive screen, showing video and responding to touch, sound and motion. Along with the continued evolution of Macromedia Flash, a content development plat form, the Sheridan School of Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences is pushing the fron tiers, trying to prove we don't need to be passive consumers, but active creators or participants. "We need to get people to start to think about what kind of things they can do," said Dan Zen, a professor and industry liaison at the school. "It's nice to be able to teach new things to put Canada at the forefront." Zen predicts OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens like the Smart Board will be cheap er than blackboards in a decade and will soon be on walls in homes, and now is the time to figure out what we can use them for. If the exhibition at Sheridan is any indication, a lot can be done. Many of the pieces at the show couldn't have BAR R IE E R S KIN E/ O AKVILLE B E A V E R Paul Ward with his Interactive Multimedia creation that's a game. been created three years ago. Besides advertising, an obvious application is to pretty a place up by offering spectacular scenery like a beach view or a beautiful forest and you can change the scene at will, by bringing up a menu and touching which landscape, or piece of art, suits you best. Just such a piece, designed and programmed by Ryan Bruce, was on display at Interactive Walls. Elsewhere Lauren Rigato and Jen McDonald made most of the screen like a mirror, yet instead of a reflected image, it is a video image so you can turn around and then look at your back to make sure your hair isn't a mess. The pair used the rest of the board as an information terminal so while getting ready in the moming, you can see the time, the temperature, and other information. The most popular piec£ at the show, however, was a game. Paul Ward's eyeball pong was a hit. Ward, who studied computer science at Bishop's University in Quebec and has a keen interest in physics, put an eyeball on the screen, with a target at either end. To play, you put your hand over the eyeball and drag the eyeball along, taking your hand off to complete the throw. Your opponent at the other end of the screen then tries to catch the eyeball before it goes into his net. The game can become quite fast and becomes more interesting when gravity and friction are altered. "If you're going to have an interactive wall, you're going to need to use physics," Ward said. At Interactive Walls exhibition, the concepts drove the pieces, and students came out with a very interesting look at the future, one where these applications won't be separate, but all of them available on a single wall in your home. 1 -8 8 8 -9 3 9 -3 3 3 3 , fo r y o u r f r e e c o p y o f O n e S te p a t a T im e . A lso a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t www.cancer.ca/tobacco i ^ Canadian Societe { 3 ^ Cancer canadienne Society du cancer CHRYSLER ·JEEP , ·DODGE RETAILERS' B IG G E S T ^ ' CELEBRATION t OF THE YEAR OR CHOOSE & T 0 S ON SELECT 2004 AND 2005 MODELS ___ 0 % PURCHASE FINANCING FOR UPTO 60 MONTHS f S I i . V S < > .V S . ( . K i ;i.^ ll L N ( ; s .U * 175 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville LOCKWOOD H R Y S L 905.845.6653 Chrysler Financial F IV E S T A R C E R T IF IE D O akville's 2000 2004 Five Star Certified Dealership I ON VIRTUALLY ALL 2004 CHRYSLER,JEEP AND DODGE MODELS. HURRY IN! OFFERS END DECEMBER 3lS T , 2004 INTRODUCING J h THE LOCKWOOD W REWARDS CARD Fri., December 24, 25 and IClosed ' M V R tW ® LXRD Monday Dec., 27th. O PEN Boxinq Week Sale - Tues to F it (between Kerr & Dorval) ' rive star ©c o a o Closed Sat, S Janf 1 , Sun., r Jan. 2 and Mon. Jan. 3, 2005

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