Sam McGrath

"I?ve recently been working on a new feature for the Offset Engine: real time ambient occlusion. I took some ideas from Crysis and some other developers (most notably Inigo Quilez?thanks Inigo!) who have been working on similar techniques and made a few improvements over those approaches that makes the effect much more convincing, IMO. For those not familiar with the term, ambient occlusion is a way of approximating global illumination by computing how much a point is occluded by other geometry in the scene (good overview at http://www-viz.tamu.edu/students/bmoyer/617/ambocc/)

It?s not quite ready for prime time yet, and currently requires quite a bit of tweaking to get it looking good in different situations, but I thought I?d show you some WIP comparison screenshots (attached). It works as a post process and requires no precomputation, and works with moving and deforming objects. It currently requires deferred rendering to be turned on, though I may be able to get around this dependency As you can see from the comparison shots, it improves the quality of the rendered scene significantly! The first shot showing the boxes is lit in a very boring way intentionally (a single sky light placed in the editor) to highlight the benefit of the technique."

The Google Search Appliance offers the same index and search capabilities found on google.com. However, Google has adapted the GSA for corporations to allow them to index information within their intranet the same way Google does with their public search engine.

Tomorrow's launch of the English-language Al Jazeera International news channel will present the world with a strange broadcasting animal. Funded by the Emir of Qatar, the channel will likely tone down the graphic and/or sensational nature of its Arabic-language parent, but it will still be free from commercial sponsorship or advertiser concerns. There will actually be four bureaus -- one in the channel's home city of Doha, Qatar (studio pictured), plus outposts in London, Washington DC, and Kuala Lumpur. The Emir's deep pockets sent recruiters on a shopping spree for correspondents worldwide, netting a few overseas-famous names. The BBC is said to be defensively realigning in response to Al Jazeera's nabbing of "Scud Stud" Rageh Omaar and Sir David Frost, among others; Frost will inaugurate his show Wednesday by interviewing British PM Tony Blair. Various other Brits came aboard as well, including a few who are apparently a bit too fond of the sauce for the Emir's liking.

No details on exactly who got enthusiastically blotto on recent trips to Al Jazeera's Doha HQ -- Sir David, how could you -- but supposedly several British staff spent so much time in the hotel bars that the Emir ordered them to undergo "cultural awareness" seminars while in the otherwise boozeless country. One presumes that patronizing the population of Bangladeshi prostitutes is also frowned upon. Nevertheless, while it appears that only the satellite-based Dish Network will carry Al Jazeera International in the United States (or is at least "willing" to carry it), tomorrow's relaunch of the Al Jazeera English website will stream the channel for free, in real time. Get ready to choose your next Anderson Cooper.

Al-Jazeera opens in London [SA]
Britons at Al-Jazeera TV station rapped for 'drinking binges' [ThisIsLondon]
Who Will Broadcast Al Jazeera? [NYM]
Al Jazeera English all set to launch [Al Jazeera]
[Photo: Getty]

Earlier: English-Language Al-Jazeera Debuts This Week

I cant watch Rudy without tearing up a bit the second that one player starts the “Rooo-dy” chant. Or when the dad tries not to cry as he applauds his son, overwhelmed with pride. Ok, not only am I going off topic but I’m also starting to well up so back to the story at hand. This Friday, MTV is set to air a two-hour special chronicling the success of Motorcycle Racer, Nicky Hayden.

Office 2008 may offer a wealth of new features, not the least of which is Intel native code, but those looking for more impressive features will have to look elsewhere than Entourage, which stands alone as the sole Mac-only component of Office.

Dentist goes absolutely crazy

Task Coach is a simple todo manager to manage personal tasks and todo lists. It grew out of a frustration that well-known task managers, such as those provided with Outlook or Lotus Notes, do not provide facilities for composite tasks. Often, tasks and other things to do consist of several activities. Task Coach is designed to deal with composite tasks.

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License: GNU General Public License (GPL)

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Changes:
Bugs fixed include a hanging application when exiting and all effort being shown in the effort tab of task editors.

Since its launch almost one year ago, the Nintendo Wii has certainly been the big surprise among the three major game console contenders. As we approach the one-year anniversary, TG Daily game expert Mark Raby reviews what has made the Wii the success it is today and how much room there is for more in the future.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Nothing gets our heart pumping quite like a new VOIP handset, and when it's a dual-function model that can connect to a landline too, well, we sometimes have trouble containing our excitement. The latest system in a seemingly endless parade of similar products comes from Linksys, whose CIT310 supports Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, and looks a lot snazzier than some of the other phones we've seen from this company. Based on the DECT standard, the CIT310 hooks up to your PC's USB port and your regular telephone line, allowing you to make and receive both Yahoo! and POTS calls anywhere within range of the base unit. Additional features include zip code-based business searches directly from the handset's small color screen (including one click calling) and local weather info in case your weather station, TV, PC, thermometer, and newspaper all happen to crash simultaneously. This model will available for an even $100 exclusively through Amazon until sometime in January, so you should be able to pick one up in a bricks-and-mortar store right after you've finished returning all those other VOIP devices you're bound to receive this holiday season.

[Via Geekzone]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.current.com.au/2007/11/09/article/FPYQOKAPWA.html

Mike Newell tapped to spearhead the Prince's upcoming film.

A new addition to the ever-growing Need for Speed franchise is coming, and this time you're deep undercover.