I stumbled over this video on YouTube, which demonstrates “BumpTop,” a 3D realization of the desktop metaphor using a pen for input. It’s really pretty brilliant what the students at University of Toronto’s Dynamic Graphics Project have achieved here:

The work here is so smartly done, it’s not even lessened by the fact that it looks to be taken directly from Apple’s Piles project, which started in the company’s Human Interface Group (HIG) in the late ’80s. The first public appearance of Piles was in 1992, when HIG issued a paper on the User Interface concept (check out this Bruce Tognazzini column where he gives a nice description of Piles, about half way down the page. Bruce was the founder of HIG.) (more…)

I’ll admit it, I’m a Digg.com addict. For those not in the know, Digg is a news site where stories, generally posted elsewhere first, are submitted by, and then voted on, by Digg’s users. The more votes, the more diggs, the higher a story places on the site.

Being a fan of the weird, I can always depend on Digg to find the oddest stuff on the Internet for me, generally on a daily basis.

Take, for example, this recent Digg post. According to the Digger, “On a recent business trip to Tokyo, I happened to stop by the Apple store. There was this guy selling magazines or something right outside the store…I happened to take a photo.”

What’s supposed to be going on in this illustration I won’t speculate. Just thought I’d share. And to Digg, a big shoutout for continually serving up the Internet’s strangest flotsam.

In fact, now that we’ve set-up an author account on The Geek Beat for Digg, from now on when we find something especially interesting (or bizarre) on the Digg site, not only will we post it here, but you’ll get a change to “digg” it yourself (see the links below.)

read digg post | digg (vote for) story

It seems if you’re looking for reasons to hate Microsoft, you never have to look very far. Case in point: It was reported today on CNN.com that Microsoft paid a blogger to make changes to certain entries on Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that is maintained by volunteers. Typically, companies and their representatives are not allowed to update Wikipedia entries because of the risk of bias being introduced into what is supposed to be an objective repository of fact. (more…)

I have several devices that I depend on every day: my MacBook Pro, my Garmin StreetPilot 3270 GPS, my iPod. And while I can think of ways all these devices could be improved, there is only one device that I would gladly chuck into the ocean and never touch again, if not for the one vital job it does marginally well.

That device is my cell phone.

So when Apple introduced the iPhone, I had a geek-gasm right on the spot. Finally, my prayers had been answered: a handheld device that’ll connect me to people by phone, mail, IM, and to the Internet like a computer; and to my music and videos like an iPod.

Finally, a smartphone that’s actually smart. (more…)

Attention all you wild gamers: Nintendo is so concerned that the cord attaching your Wiimote to its wrist strap might snap – sending Wiimote sailing across the room and into your precious TV – they’re stepping up with a fix.

The company announced today it will replace about 3.2 million wrist straps for controllers that work with the popular Wii game console. The voluntary exchange program comes in the wake of countless reports of wrist straps fraying and controllers slipping out of users’ hands during vigorous play with the motion-sensing devices. (more…)