Hyunmo Kang's blog about HCI and InfoVis technologies

The rising tide of electronic data presents tremendous opportunities and challenges for journalists. Never before has so much information been publicly available, often in structured formats that are suited to electronic analysis. Based on the increasing volume and pace of data availability, it is easy to imagine a time not far off when data reporting becomes a part of every journalist’s job. So what then, are the skills that will be necessary for journalists to tell stories from — and with — data?

Geoff McGhee interviewed people who are pioneering data visualization in various fields to produce this documentary on the emerging art of data stories.

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Plenoptic is a stunning new lenses technology. When you use it, you don’t need to care about having your subject in focus. You would be able to perfectly focus on any subject in your photography after you take the photo.

Invented by Adobe, Plenoptic consists on a very smart combination of special lens for your camera and software for your PC or Mac.

First, the lens’ optics atomize the picture in thousands of tiny versions of the scene, all different from each other, at different angles and positions. When you add these lenses to your DSLR camera, the sensor would capture a huge grid of images made of all these little images. The effect is similar to the eyes of a fly.

Then, the software can take this grid and combine the versions into a single one. Using a simple slider, you can change the focus of the image in any way you want, picking any plane you desire to be in perfect, crystal-clear focus.

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Computer graphics have progressed significantly since the 1950s; we are now at a stage where photorealistic 3D images can be created using commercially available tools. We are in an era where 3D artists are in high demand and low supply presenting excellent opportunities for those with a creative flair to build a successful career in the industry.

3D computer graphics are typically separated into three phases: modelling; layout and animation; and rendering. Below is a brief overview of the three components and later in this article is an in-depth look at each stage.

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Rethink the ATM