MIMESIS n pl. -MESISES or -MESES mimicry MIMETIC adj 61 points (11 points without the bingo) MIMESIS is just another term for MIMICRY in the world of zoology, but it's not just limited to the science of animals, it's used elsewhere as well. But no matter where you use the wo ...more
With Apple preparing to bring a slew of new features to its Animoji app this fall, Samsung has updated its AR Emoji imitator with the ability to create more realistic digital doppelgängers. The update gives users more control over customization of their personal AR Emojis wit ...more
Minecraft was first released just a few years ago, but when a paradigm-shifting piece of media comes along the rest of the world is quick to take inspiration from it. The absolutely terrible XBLA knock-off FortressCraft was the first, and last month a much more interesting gam ...more
The $35 Raspberry Pi is an amazingly useful single-board computer (SBC) with a good balance of price, performance, and connectivity options. But for some projects, it just isn't enough. Whether you need more computing power, a smaller size, or better machine-learning capabilit ...more
In early 2000, at the age of 19, Noah Kalina began taking a photo of himself with the same facial expression—every single day. Six years and over 2,000 photographs later, Kalina turned his project into a time-lapsed montage on YouTube. In just one day, his video received over ...more
In a much-hated move, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen removed his incredibly popular, yet extremely frustrating app from both Google Play and the iOS App Store. The jury is still out on the exact reason behind the move, though we can rule out pressure from Nintendo, but one ...more
Location-based gaming pioneer Niantic has offered a preview of its augmented reality cloud platform that could change the immersive content game yet again. Previously disclosed by Niantic CEO John Hanke in an interview, the Niantic Real World Platform for mobile apps enables ...more
Universal Studios and Cinemark Theaters have enlisted mobile augmented reality game Seek to promote The Mummy, a reboot of the action-adventure film franchise starring summer movie mainstay Tom Cruise. Available as iOS and Android apps, Seek is among a growing number of mobil ...more
About a year ago, a certain watershed mobile augmented reality game based on a familiar video game franchise was released into the wild. Today, a number of imitators and emulators have introduced their own location-based games with hopes of similar success. The process of rep ...more
Can lightning strike twice? Niantic is betting that it can with its latest augmented reality game based on the best-selling multimedia franchise Harry Potter. If the developer's name is unfamiliar, then perhaps Ingress, the company's first mobile game, which not only earned a ...more
MGMT is only two full-lengths old, but their impact on pop music has been massive. "Time to Pretend" has spawned legions of imitators, and for good reason. If you want to play a classy version of it, watch this video to learn how to cover the song on solo piano.
The actual augmented reality portion of Pokémon GO is about to get even more fun for players. On Tuesday, the company revealed GO Snapshot, an extension of AR+ Mode facilitated by ARKit and ARCore that will enable players to pose Pokémon characters in augmented reality for ph ...more
The year 2019 was filled with all the normal peaks and valleys of the tech business cycle, but this year was particularly important in a space as relatively young as the augmented reality industry. What once seemed like a vast fertile bed of mobile AR apps, powered by Apple's ...more
With the announcement of ARKit 2.0 at WWDC 2018, Apple is bringing some powerful new capabilities to mobile augmented reality apps this fall. Shared experiences, persistent content, and 3D object recognition will enable more social, transcendent, and immersive experiences for ...more
Forget the smoothies, granitas, cool lattes, and other frozen imitators—there’s nothing that satisfies your sweet tooth like a good old-fashioned milkshake. Learn how to make a delicious milkshake at home. Step 1: Scoop in ice cream Scoop your ice cream into the blender—you’l ...more
A little-known company in India is making waves after announcing that it will sell an Android 5.1 Lollipop smartphone for less than $4 (or, more precisely, 251 rupees). The Freedom 251, from Ringing Bells, sounds almost too good to be true. Is that because it is? A presale fo ...more
Continuing our NR30 series this week, we focused on the leaders of the software development industry that make augmented reality experiences possible. In other news, two of the current leaders in making AR headsets, Microsoft and Magic Leap, are pursuing multiple verticals wit ...more
While a release date for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has not yet materialized, co-developers Niantic and WB Games have finally released gameplay footage and an in-depth game description to whet the appetites of eager Harry Potter fans. In addition to the reveal of gameplay fo ...more