The Future of 3D Images *

Recently many people have fallen in love with the threedimensional images in theaters that feel as if you are actually in the movie. But do you know how the 3D image is produced and how we are able to see these images?

It begins with the way our brain interprets images. 3D imaging depends on optical illusions to create panoramic scenes proving depth for the objects. Humans have binocular vision, which means each eye sees a different picture and the brain combines the two pictures into a single image. The brain uses the slight difference in angle between the two images to aid in depth perception. Polarized lenses filter out only light waves that are aligned in the same direction. With a pair of 3D glasses, each lens is polarized differently and the screen is specially designed to maintain the correct polarization when the light is reflected from the projector. That is why the images are somewhat blurry when viewed without the 3D glasses.

To provide these effects, the recording of the images are more complicated because it requires two cameras for the same scene, one for the left eye and another for the right eye. Afterwards, complex techniques of image processing (called rendering) are applied, generating the final result. Now you know why 3D movies are more expensive to watch than the traditional ones – because they cost more to produce.

Like many other technologies that improve while becoming popular, 3D image technology today is experiencing what specialists call the third generation. The first generation of 3D appeared in 1950; the second in 1980; and recently, it gained media attention again in 2009. Now it has become popular under the acronym, 3D. The big difference in the current third generation is that now there is digital technology, which has much fewer limitations and more powerful resources.

The film industry’s current marketing strategy is not only for 3D cinema, but also in the entire set of products and applications that can take advantage of three-dimensional images. This chain of products includes video games, Blu-ray discs, home theaters, digital cameras, computers, mobile phones, iPods and tablets as well as 3D TV without glasses.

A contributing factor in the improvement and evolution of 3D is the fact that the film industry has now developed a 3D standard that can be adopted worldwide. So everything we are seeing today on 3D is just the beginning of a revolution. According to some university research, it is likely that the next generation of 3D technology will combine tactile sensations with a three-dimensional view, which would provide even greater realism to scenes from movies or video games.

* Article published on Curitiba in English.

One in each two Brazilians will have computer in 2012

According to the research about Brazilian Market of Information Technology published by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), one in each two Brazilians will have computer until 2012. Currently, the organization estimates there are 85 million PCs in use in the country, and this represents a ratio of four machines for every nine inhabitants.

In 2010, the FGV estimates that there were 78.2 million PCs in use in Brazil, and growth in the volume of equipment is due to three factors: the falling price of PCs, increasing the population's purchasing power and people's perception of the usefulness of computers.

According to the organization, the number of computers in Brazil has doubled over the past three years and the trend is that this proportion is repeated in the next three or four years. The profile of users, the biggest growth has been recorded among home users.

The number of computers in use in the Brazilian market is still low compared to developed countries like the United States, where there is an average of 106 machines for every 100 inhabitants. With a rate of 44% penetration of computers, Brazil is slightly above the world average of 36%.

The band is wide but the connection is slow

Only 6% of the Brazilian internet users have connection speed up to 8 Mbytes, according to the research published by Nielsen Institute taking in account nine countries.

To compare the results, this speed is found in 38% of access point in Switzerland - 29% of internet sites in the United States - 27% of German computers with web access. The country that comes closest to Brazil in this category is Italy - only 7% of internet access point keeps the ultra-fast connection.

This shows how much we have to improve, not only the speed, but the number of Brazilians with internet. Perhaps with the investment plan by the government called National Broadband Plan, a big effort to be done in several spheres including us as customers.

Brazil occupies 56th position in global IT rankings

The Global Report on Information Technology 2010/2011, released on April 4th by the World Economic Forum (WEF), shows that Brazil occupies the 56th position in the ranking, which analyzes the adoption rate of IT to sustain growth and development of the economy. The country has climbed five places from the last search.

The report cites that the main barriers to the development of IT initiatives in Brazil are the regulatory framework, the low quality of the market environment and the unpreparedness of the population to deal with technology.

To reach the global ranking, the World Economic Forum uses an evaluation baptized as Index of Information Technology (ITI). It analyzes the level of preparedness of countries to adopt the technology under three viewpoints: the regulatory environment, business and infrastructure; preparation of individuals, companies and governments to use and take advantage the resources of IT and telecom, and the implementation of available technologies.

The first five places in the ranking are occupied, in ascending order of: Sweden, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland and the United States. With the inclusion of a record 138 economies, the report is still the largest and most trusted international assessment of the impact of ICT in development and competitiveness of nations.

GPS is increasingly in the daily life of Brazilians

The use of navigation devices continues to grow among Brazilian consumers. According to research conducted by Navteq - the leading global provider of maps,traffic and location data, which included for the first time Brazil in the 13 countries evaluated - a third of consumers have experience with navigation, plus 90% show familiarity with the instruments. In total, 13 000 people were interviewed, and one thousand within the country.

Among the varied formats, navigation in vehicles leads to the choice. The use of cellular and / or smartphones ranked second. These items were identified as the main and which the public has shown more adaptation.

One of the criticisms leveled at the GPS, however, is in relation to the abbreviations of the names of streets, which has caused confusion at times. Not all devices have quick refresher. When there are streets with names that start with the words priest or colonel, for example, a problem occurs. For devices in cell phones, arise some other critical to agility, that takes a while to pick up satellite signals, compared to models that are in cars. Delay especially in days of heavy rain or when there are many clouds.

The continued use of GPS has led some car dealerships to put the unit among the optional items, in addition to having several models on store shelves. They are offered as optional and most people interested in a new vehicle chooses to purchase the unit.

However, the device is not unanimous - still for some drivers keep using the guide in paper for reasons like security, reliability and easy to use. But for you that have a GPS as your guide, here are some tips when using:
1 - Avoid blocking the antenna with your hand.
2 - It works best outdoors when the sky is clear. Rain and clouds can weaken the signal.
4 - Connect to the GPS system takes at least 40 seconds.
5 - The signal can be weakened by a windshield UV protected or heated.
6 - To avoid distractions and prevent accidents, drivers should not handle the unit when the vehicle is in motion.
7 - Do not follow the voice prompts of the device without making sure they are consistent with the existing signaling traffic.

The conscious use of credit cards on the Internet

The use of credit cards on e-commerce is still a taboo for many consumers. A research published by Cetelem-Ipsos shows that an amount of consumers still prefer the banking ticket and the deposit as payment methods on the Internet. The installment sales and credit card are chosen primarily by those who want to make installment payments.

One of the main reasons concern the security of its use, if the transaction is really safe and nobody can steal information. Truly it is important and the transaction with credit card is very safe if the user takes the necessary precaution, like keep the antivirus updated, check the merits of the company and see if the page shows the padlock in your corner with the "https" in the address bar. With these basic procedure guarantees the user that all information exchanged will be encrypted and no one else will be able to get sensitive information like credit card number for instance.

With the popularization of Internet, many people don't really understand the virtual world, the advantages and risks that offer and open up all emails that receives coupled with the fact of leaving the equipments unprotected.

An alternative is to use the Pay Pal, a company that takes advantage of this lack of consumer confidence with more than 2 millions of users in Brazil, and over 200 millions worldwide. The service creates a security layer between the customer and the seller, all you need to do is to have an account and associate your credit card to this service. When you go shopping on the Internet, instead of putting your credit card number, you choose to pay through the Pay Pal account typing your password, and the transaction will be managed and debited in your credit card in a very safe way. However, the internet store needs to accept payments using this method.

As the law of e-commerce obeys the same physical trade, consumers who feel harmed may use the Procon. Although the volume of complaints in relation to virtual commerce is still low, but the numbers show this trend awareness.