YouTube Auto Converting Uploaded Short 1080p Movies To 3D

Today YouTube is expanding their 3D service to now include any short videos that are uploaded. So rather than having to click a button to convert your short movie into 3D. YouTube will now automatically convert 1080p short movies directly to 3D as they are uploaded.

The new service will make it easier for YouTube users to now view movies in 3D by simply clicking on the “Gear” icon within the YouTube player to view it in glorious 3D. But don’t forget you will need to be wearing a pair of 3D glasses. YouTube explains:

To give you more dimension on 3D, here’s some background how the conversion technology works at YouTube. Since last September we’ve been constantly improving the underlying technology, which now uses several techniques:

We use a combination of video characteristics such as color, spatial layout and motion to estimate a depth map for each frame of a monoscopic video sequence. We use machine learning from the growing number of true 3D videos on YouTube to learn video depth characteristics and apply them in depth estimation. The generated depth map and the original monoscopic frame create a stereo 3D left-right pair, that a stereo display system needs to display a video as 3D

For more information on the new 3D technology being implemented by Google, jump over to the YouTube blogpost for more information.

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Wikipedia iOS And Android Apps Replace Google Maps For OpenStreetMaps

Wikipedia has announced this week that a new update for its iOS and Android application will remove the Google Maps integration the apps both use, and replace it with OpenStreetMaps technology.

As well as adopting the OpenStreetMaps technology the new updates rolled out to both iOS and Android applications brings a wealth of new features and tweaks which brings both app inline with each other.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. OpenStreetMap was founded in July 2004 by Steve Coast, and in April 2006, the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) was established to encourage the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data and provide geospatial data for anybody to use and share. Wikipedia explains, that the move to remove Google Maps is to try and support as many devices as possible:

“Previous versions of our application used Google Maps for the nearby view. This has now been replaced with OpenStreetMaps – an open and free source of Map Data that has been referred to as ‘Wikipedia for Maps.’ This closely aligns with our goal of making knowledge available in a free and open manner to everyone. This also means we no longer have to use proprietary Google APIs in our code, which helps it run on the millions of cheap Android handsets that are purely open source and do not have the proprietary Google applications.”

For more information on the new updates and features included in both the iOS and Android Wikipedia applications jump over to the Wikipedia website bog post.

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Flickr Replaces PikNik Photo Editing App With Aviary HTML 5 Editing

In preparation for when Google pulls the plug on its Piknik photo editing service on April 19th. Flickr has now started to replace its Piknik editing application with Aviary.

Aviary is a HTML 5 styled photo editing application which also supports Apple’s iPad tablet, and will be rolling out across Flickr over the next two weeks, so if its not already in your ‘Actions’ menu yet, check back in a couple days.

The new Flickr Aviary photo editing feature has been designed in partnership with Aviary and has taken on board the request of Flickr users to provide a fast and simple way to edit photographs online.

“Speed. Editing a photo online should be fast. And we’ve worked very hard with the Aviary team to deliver a fast and uncluttered experience. Your photo loads and is ready to be edited in seconds.

Simplicity. Editing on Flickr should be simple and fun. With the Aviary editor, beginners will find that there’s almost no learning curve and more demanding users will appreciate the versatility of the tool. You can apply new app like filters, stickers, text, and save it back to your photostream with just a few clicks.”

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NASA Inventing A Quiet Supersonic Aircraft

The expected “level of acceptance” of a sonic boom by the general public is 70 decibels.

However, NASA had lowered their newly designed supersonic aircraft by 79 decibels. A supersonic flight is then achieved when the aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound. One of its benefits is that it reduces flight times, nearly one third of the flight time of passenger planes today.

The reason for reducing the sonic boom sound is due to the shockwave the aircraft produces when it takes off, creating too loud sounds just like a big explosion, That’s why we don’t see any passenger aircrafts capable of supersonic flights.

Meanwhile, NASA has been working with Boeing and Lockheed Martin to reduce the noise created with the sonic boom to use in business jets, and as mentioned above, NASA is on track to achieve that goal.

NASA plans to have business jets in service by 2025 and they are confident that their further developments will reduce the noise level to the recommended 70 decibels threshold or even less. However, all these improvements may need more budget. Perhaps they should cut other active programs or persuade the government and industry partners to put in money, for the project’s success.

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Yahoo Cuts 14 Percent Of Its Workforce

As expected Yahoo has today announced that it will be making layoffs throughout the company. But not just a small amount, 14 percent of its workforce, which equates to around 2,000 positions. Yahoo! hopes to realise approximately $375 million of annualised savings upon completion of all employee layoffs.

Hopefully helping it keep the rest of its workforce on its books. Yahoo’s CEP Scott Thompson explains a little more about the layoffs and Yahoo’s plus for the future of the company.

“Today’s actions are an important next step toward a bold, new Yahoo! – smaller, nimbler, more profitable and better equipped to innovate as fast as our customers and our industry require. We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities.

Our goal is to get back to our core purpose – putting our users and advertisers first – and we are moving aggressively to achieve that goal,”-“Unfortunately, reaching that goal requires the tough decision to eliminate positions. We deeply value our people and all they’ve contributed to Yahoo!.”

Yahoo will be releasing its first quarter financial results on April 17th, 2012.

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